Giving In
by DelenaRain
Summary: Elena has been sold to Damon and is now his slave. At first, Damon is cruel and heartless, and does terrible things to her. Elena hates him with a passion, but will she find herself falling for the man she's supposed to hate? And will Damon fall for the woman who's supposed to be his slave? AU DELENA
1. Day One

**Ok, hi ;)**

**Most of you won't know me, so…I'm DelenaRain, and I'm a HUGE DE shipper.**

**I'm not so sure about this story…I feel like you guys might not like it, read it, or review it.**

**Whatever, I felt like posting it. This is Chapter 1, I'll continue if you guys want me to ;)**

**Leave a review, pleeeeeease, and enjoy!**

**IMPORANT: THE SETTING FOR THIS STORY IS AU. IT'S A COMPLETELY DIFFERENT WORLD. **

* * *

If she could, Elena would fight. She would tear her way out of the burning ropes that held her ankles and wrists together, and murder the monsters that were doing this. She would never let herself feel this helpless and alone, ever again.

But she couldn't. They'd kill her; whoever was doing this. She'd die a slow, painful death, knowing that there was nothing she could do about it; no way to stop or prevent it.

So she didn't. She sat there, chained to the wall, listening as the cart she sat in bumped up and down the road, creating a new bruise on her already black and blue back every few minutes.

Where were they taking her? _Who _were they taking her to? These were all questions Elena desperately wanted answers to, and yet she couldn't get any if she tried. Before, there'd just been her and the orphanage, and the dull pain of knowing she was alone in the world. Now, she was heading to unknown terrors.

She'd been sold. As a slave.

When they reached the age of 17, the orphanage kicked them out, and left them to be sold to slave traders. And that's what had happened to her. That was the world she lived in.

She'd been sitting on her bed, in her room, when the head of the orphanage had come, telling her it was time to go. Elena knew exactly what she had meant.

She thought back to yesterday morning. They'd taken her from the orphanage, and then she'd been put in a wagon and taken to the market. And then she'd been sold to slave traders, who had taken her to another market last night. She'd been sold for a second time, and now here she was. They'd informed her this is where she would stay, at least for quite some time. Working for some vampire, they'd said.

Whoever he was, this vampire, she hated him already.

The wagon hit a bump in the road, and Elena's head hit the back of the wooden cart, causing her to let out a small whimper. The wooden cart, wagon, -whatever it was- she sat in was tiny, and she was in the back, left alone to deal with her tears and pain. The driver was up the front, but she really couldn't care less about him.

The wagon came to a halt, and Elena's stomach lurched in fear. They'd arrived. She brought her knees up to her chest, hugging them as best she could with her bound hands.

The door swung open, and rough hands pulled Elena out. The driver grabbed her arm and dragged her along with him, wherever they were going. Elena's eyes were blurry from tears, and she could barely see a thing. It was dark outside, and she realized they must have been traveling for quite some time.

They were going up a dirt road, heading for a large manor. Elena's stomach churned at the sight of it. So this was the place she'd spend the next year in.

Someone was waiting on the porch for them. Elena couldn't quite make out whom through the darkness, but she guessed it was a man. Was this the vampire she'd been sent to be a slave for?

"Your delivery, sir." The driver said gruffly, and Elena swallowed. So it was a man, and it was the vampire. Her new master.

The driver pushed her to the ground, and Elena fell on her knees, willing herself not to cry. She curled into a ball, terrified.

She could hear footsteps as the man walked down the porch steps, coming towards her.

Elena shut her eyes tightly and her hands curled into fists, preparing herself for whatever was to come.

* * *

Damon sat impatiently on the porch, tapping his foot against the wood. How long did it take a slave delivery to get here?

One of his friends had bought him a slave as a Christmas present. He'd thought it to be a joke at first, since he already had many of them, but now here he was, waiting for her to get delivered. For a mere second, Damon wondered if this girl was attractive. Would she prove to be useful?

He watched as a wagon finally pulled into the driveway, and he stood up. The door opened, and he squinted in the darkness, using his vampire eyesight to watch as the driver of the wagon pulled something out.

Damon could hear a whimper coming from the girl, and he smirked. This would be fun. He hadn't had a new slave in a while, and they were always terrified of him when they first came.

He watched as the driver dragged the girl up the dirt pathway, coming to stop in front of the porch as he spotted Damon.

"Your delivery, sir."

He threw the girl on the ground, and she fell to her knees, curling into a ball.

Damon nodded at him, and the driver turned and left, heading back to the wagon. The girl was still on the ground, visibly shaking.

Damon cocked his head to the side, studying her. She wore a ripped white dress that seemed to fit her in all the right places. Her olive skin was covered in bruises and dried blood, and he smirked. So she'd dealt with pain before. She had long, chestnut brown hair that fell down her back in perfectly straight lines – although it looked like it hadn't been brushed in ages.

He made his way down the porch steps slowly, then strode towards her. Damon crouched in front of the quivering girl, taking her slim wrists in his hands. She raised her head timidly, and he placed his fingers under her chin, tilting her face upwards.

Damon drew in a sharp breath. She was extremely beautiful, more so then any woman he'd ever seen before in his many years as a vampire.

There were dried tear tracks on her face, and he studied her brown doe eyes and beautiful features for a moment before coming to the conclusion that she was probably still a teenager, around the age of 17-18.

"Your name?" He asked quietly, patiently awaiting her answer. She drew in a ragged breath.

"E-Elena."

He nodded. So she had a beautiful name too.

Damon wondered if she was aware of the terrible year she had ahead of her.

* * *

Warm hands encircled Elena's wrists, and she looked up in shock, squinting through her blurry eyes to see the man.

Fingers slid under her chin, tilting her face upwards, and she flinched at the unexpected contact. She heard the man draw in a sharp breath, and she finally managed to rid her eyes of the tears and get a good look at him.

Elena bit back a gasp. He was inhumanly beautiful. The man's eyes were the bluest she'd ever seen; eyes that you could drown in just by looking at. His hair was dark, the colour of a raven, and his skin was fair.

She watched as he stared at her for a few moments, before he spoke.

"Your name?"

Elena's hands trembled. His voice was like smooth velvet, wrapping itself around her everywhere.

She drew in a ragged breath. "E-Elena."

He nodded, pausing for a moment before speaking again.

"Well, Elena. I'm Damon. Damon Salvatore. I am your master now, do you understand?"

_Damon._ The name suited him perfectly. She nodded quickly, as he waited for an answer.

"Good. Now. Let's get you inside."

His voice was now cool, and Elena' heart skipped a beat. Suddenly, Damon's eyes didn't look so innocent anymore. They looked cold, and distant. She was _scared. _

He led her inside the house, keeping a firm, unbreakable grip on her wrist. Elena knew not to try anything – at least not now. He was a vampire. He could – and would – tear her throat out anytime he wanted.

Damon led her into a large room, complete with leather sofas and a crackling fire. He pulled her into the light by the fire, staring at her coldly.

"Witch." He said darkly, and Elena realized then that they weren't alone. A dark skinned woman appeared, a weary look on her face.

"I want you to brand Elena here." Damon said, not an ounce of kindness in his voice.

A cold sweat broke out on Elena's forehead. Brand? What the hell did that mean? She swallowed thickly, looking to Damon for answers.

He grabbed her, pulling her to his chest, and Elena gasped.

"This is going to hurt a little, _Elena._" His cool breath tickled her ear, and she shivered. The witch sighed and looked her up and down, before speaking.

"Hold out your wrist."

Elena swallowed again, extending her arm slightly. The witch grabbed it and she flinched in fear, trying to back away. Her back hit a wall of muscle and she looked behind her to see Damon blocking her way out.

"Don't move." His voice was like ice.

The witch began to chant, and a searing pain shot through Elena's arm. She cried out in pain, a tear slipping from her eye. Something was burning her wrist, marking it. The witch continued chanting, before stopping after what seemed like an eternity.

Elena immediately jerked her hand back to her body, wiping away her tears furiously and staring at her wrist. She now had the letter 'D' engraved on her olive flesh, and she gasped in anger.

Damon nodded at the witch and grabbed Elena's arm, tugging her along with him as he made his way up a large flight of stairs. They came to the second floor, which was furnished just as richly as the first.

Hope swelled in Elena's chest. Maybe it wouldn't be that bad! Maybe…maybe she'd be given one of these nicer bedrooms. It was worth believing in, wasn't it?

Damon sneered at her. "Did you honestly believe you'd be getting a bedroom here?"

He chuckled coldly, and Elena's eyes filled with tears, the hope immediately disappearing.

They continued up the stairs, passing another floor, until they reached the fourth. Unlike the soft carpets that had covered the floor in the other levels of the house, the ground here was wooden floorboards.

There was a crack in the roof, and Elena could see moonlight streaming in. Beds with iron frames were pushed against the walls opposite each other. There looked to be about 16 of them.

"These are the slave quarters." Damon smirked down at her, and she let out a whimper.

"B-but…it's freezing up here!" She said, gesturing to the crack in the roof. "And…there's no blankets on the beds, only mattresses without covers…how am I supposed to sleep? A-and, where do I go to the washroom? Am I allowed to come downstairs?"

Elena regretted the words the second they were out, and she instantly knew she'd made a grave mistake in voicing her opinion. Damon's eyes had gone dark, and before she knew it, her head was facing the side of the room.

Elena's hand came up to cradle her cheek, tears brimming in her doe eyes. He'd _slapped _her. She turned her face back to Damon, cupping her red cheek. Elena bit her lip, willing herself not to cry.

Not here. Not in front of him. She couldn't give him the satisfaction.

"When you speak out of turn, that is what happens." Damon growled. "Did I ask you to speak? _Did I_?"

Elena slowly shook her head, keeping her eyes on the ground.

Damon smirked. "Exactly." He shoved her towards the bed, and she stumbled, her toe catching on the post. A shock of pain shot through her foot, and she whimpered.

Damon laughed cruelly. "You're right, it is quite cold up here. And yes, I realize there are no blankets, pillows, or covers on the mattresses. Nothing to cover yourself with." He smirked. "Guess you'll have to figure that one out yourself."

He turned for the door. "You use the washroom when I say so, you eat food when I say so. You are not allowed to come downstairs without my permission when you're not working. You will go to bed now, and don't you dare step out of this room. I'll come for you tomorrow morning, and take you downstairs. We'll go over your schedule then, and I'll inform you of your duties."

Damon glanced around for a second. "It's still quite early. Usually the slaves I keep get to bed at around 1AM and get up at around 5 AM. They'll be in soon I guess."

Elena nearly choked. Only _4 hours _of sleep each day? She drew in a shaky breath.

Damon smiled coldly at her. "Sleep well, _sweetheart_." He shut the door behind him, and the lock clicked.

Elena burst into tears, lying down on the mattress and curling into a ball. Her life was officially over. Clearly, her new master was completely and utterly evil. She was surprised he'd only hit her when she'd spoken out.

There hadn't been an inch of kindness in his voice, stance…_anything._

* * *

Damon started down the stairs, listening carefully for her reaction. He heard Elena burst into tears, and he stopped for a moment. Maybe…no. He rolled his eyes. Had he really been about to feel a little guilty?

He heard the groans of the mattress springs as she climbed onto it, and listened for a moment longer to her agonized cries before rolling his eyes for a second time and continuing downstairs. Elena was a fighter, he knew she was. The way she'd spoken out just proved that.

Not for much longer, though. She had a long day ahead of her tomorrow, and he wondered if she'd survive it unbroken; still a fighter.

* * *

Elena's cries turned into sobs, and she looked out the window at the moon, trembling. She was freezing cold, starving, desperately had to go the washroom, and absolutely terrified.

Was this really what her life had turned into? She desperately clutched the locket around her neck, holding onto it for dear life. Inside was a picture of her, Jeremy, and their parents. And now they were all dead, except for her.

And now she was left all alone with her pain and broken heart, with this evil man _Damon Salvatore._

**Review if you want to see the next day!**

**Ok, so chapter one done. I'll continue if I get some sort of response to this story, maybe a review? *Smiles hopefully***

**Can't believe we have to wait till January 17th…ARGH IM SO MAD**

**Anyways, drop a review please? Yes? No? Continue? Forget?**

**~DelenaRain**


	2. Day Two

**Ok, so chapter 2 done.**

**I worked hard on this one – I stayed up till 1 AM finishing it! LOL.**

**What takes me hours to write, takes you a couple seconds to review, so please do!**

**Teehee that rhymes ;P**

* * *

"Get up."

Elena's eyes flew open in shock, and she sat up quickly. She was still lying on the mattress – she'd finally managed to fall asleep…somehow. She'd cried herself to sleep, though.

Damon was sitting on the edge of the bed, his eyes dark. He wore dark clothes, just like the day before, and his blue eyes were icy cold. Elena shivered at his close proximity, flinching when he moved closer.

"I said, get up."

She looked out the window, noting that it was still dark out. Then, she realized something else: it was snowing. But why…oh. Right. She'd forgotten.

Today was Christmas.

And her first day spent here as a slave just had to be Christmas Day.

She'd been so excited about Christmas, and then they'd taken her without warning from the orphanage. In the rush of it all, she'd completely forgotten about her favourite day of the year.

Damon chuckled coldly. "Finally realized what day it is?" His eyes showed no pity for her, and Elena turned away, feeling a tear slip down her cheek. The horror of the situation was finally getting to her. Realizing today was Christmas, and that she was spending it here, had just proved that her life was taking a turn for the worse.

She wiped her tears away quickly, and turned back to him, keeping her eyes on the ground. She clasped her hands tightly in her lap, nervous. Damon grabbed her arm in a bruising grip, forcing her to stand up.

Elena's legs wobbled. She was exhausted – last night hadn't exactly been the best sleep of her life.

"It looks to be only about 5 in the morning!" She protested, and then froze. Oh god. He'd warned her last night about speaking out…

She bit her lip and closed her eyes tightly, waiting for the harsh impact on her cheek. It came within 5 seconds, and once again, her head snapped to the side. He'd been rougher than yesterday; a searing pain shot through her face and she whimpered, tears gathering in her eyes again.

Damon stared into her doe eyes with no mercy, fuming. He couldn't believe she had dared to speak out like that again, even after he'd warned her about that yesterday.

"How dare you speak to me like that!" He hissed. "You would do well to watch your tongue, slave."

Elena let out a gasp. He'd called her slave! How cruel was this man? He didn't even have the decency to use 'little girl', or just 'Elena', for crying out loud!

Damon pulled her along with him as he walked out the doorway and started down the stairs. For a moment, Elena was afraid he was going to rip her arm off – his grip was so bruisingly tight she was sure there would be marks by tonight.

He dragged her down the stairs harshly, and Elena barely managed to keep steady on her feet. Her right foot caught on the edge of the stair, and she fell forward with a gasp. Damon's hands encircled her waist from behind and he caught her quickly, growling angrily.

"Clumsy slave." He snarled, and Elena turned her face away, hoping he wouldn't see the tear that leaked from her eye.

* * *

Elena sat on her knees, staring at the floor. She was too terrified to look up. Damon stood in front of her, his arms crossed tightly over his chest.

He'd gone over her schedule for the day, reminding her that if she forgot something and didn't show up or get the task done…she'd be 'punished'.

Elena really didn't want to find out what Damon's 'punishments' were, and so she'd tried her best to memorize everything. But she was beginning to believe she'd forget something, and that scared her.

Damon handed her a dress, and Elena examined it carefully. This was to be her 'uniform.' The dress was black, with a corset covering most of the waist, and really, not too ugly.

"This is the only item of clothing you shall have." Damon reminded her, and Elena's heart dropped. Was there nothing good about any of this?

He sighed. "As for your other questions, you may use the washroom when you wish, but only the ones in the slave quarters. You wouldn't have noticed them in the dark last night, but there are small washrooms up there."

Elena nodded, wondering when she'd get the chance to do that. How long was Damon going to spend introducing her to everything?

She'd already found out the times when she could eat – she didn't get lunch, which was not good. She already had to work all day, and Elena had a feeling it would be exhausting.

Damon narrowed his eyes at her. "There's a meal waiting for you in the kitchen." He said icily. "Your meals will be made for you…but trust me, you won't enjoy them." He smiled cruelly, and Elena furrowed her brows in confusion.

Damon lead her towards the kitchen, dropping her off in the doorway. Elena's eyes widened as she saw the state of the kitchens. They were disgusting!

"Get used to it, because you'll be spending a lot of time in here." He informed her with a cold smirk. "I'll be here to collect my food in five minutes."

Damon disappeared in the blink of an eye, and Elena flinched. She'd forgotten for a moment that Damon was a vampire – and his speed had surprised her.

She sat down on a small metal stool, looking at the plates of food set out on a table in the middle of the room. There was one plate that was filled with what appeared to be grey slush – surely that couldn't be for her…could it?

Choosing to ignore the plate filled with grey slush, Elena picked up the next plate, eyeing it hungrily. It was filled with mashed potatoes, corn…everything she loved. She took her first bite, and knew, that after being starved for 2 days, she couldn't resist. She looked at the small pate filled with grey slush again before starting. That couldn't be for her…surely…he wouldn't make her eat that…right?

No, he wouldn't. She turned away and ate the food on the other plate hungrily, smiling in satisfaction as her stomach finally stopped growling.

"What the hell are you doing, you little bitch?" A voice snarled, and Elena spun around in shock, freezing on the spot.

Damon had stormed into the kitchen, his blue eyes wide with disbelief.

"I-I-I was eating breakfast, like you said to! Y-you said m-my meal had been left for me in h-here!" Her voice trembled, much like the rest of her body.

Damon snarled, his canines extending. Elena backed away in fear.

"That was mine, you stupid girl!" He growled, gesturing to the plate of food she'd just eaten. "That is yours!" He pointed at the plate of grey slush, and Elena winced.

"D-don't vampires drink blood?" She asked, and then regretted it immediately. Elena! Why can't you just shut up? She scolded herself mentally.

"How dare you?" Damon roared. "Are you saying I'm not allowed to eat food?" His limbs were shaking in anger.

Elena's were shaking in fear. "N-no! I-I didn't know about t-the food, I-I s-sware! I-I'm s-sorry!"

She backed away, and Damon had her pinned to the wall in a split second, breathing heavily down her neck. She felt his fangs scrape against her neck, and let out a cry of fear.

He pulled away, and she slid to the floor, her breaths coming out in gasps. Damon slapped her, harder than ever before, and her face crashed into the wall. Elena tried to hold in her tears, but before she could stop them, they were running down her face. She curled into a ball, sobs wracking her small frame.

Damon was taking deep breaths, trying to calm himself. He raised an eyebrow as she began to sob. Had he hit her too hard? Maybe he should have been less rough…

What was wrong with him? Elena meant nothing to him, nothing.

He crouched down in front of her, taking her chin in his hands. She whimpered. Damon examined her cheek for a minute. The olive skin was flaming red, and he almost felt bad for using his strength on her. She had a small cut on her jaw, where her face had crashed into the wall from the force of his slap.

He sighed, irritated.

Elena coughed, and Damon continued to stare at her. She raised an arm to wipe her tears off, but they just kept coming.

Damon picked her up bridal style, and she flinched, continuing to sob against his chest. She hated him so much it hurt. This man was truly, and utterly evil. Why couldn't he just return her to her quarters and leave her be? At least for today – it was Christmas!

Damon continued walking, without a word. Elena lifted her head, confused. The air around them was going colder, and within minutes she was freezing. Where were they?

"Where are we going?" She mumbled, not caring if he got angry. He was silent.

The basement? Was that where they were? Damon carried her down a long corridor, and Elena realized that there were cells down here. He took her to the end of the hallway and threw her into the cell. She stumbled, hitting the wall and crying out.

"You can stay down here the rest of the day." Damon snarled, shutting the door and bolting it behind her.

Elena's eyes overflowed, and she ran to the door, curling her fingers around the bars.

"B-but it's Christmas!" She pleaded. He couldn't just leave her down here!

Damon smiled cruelly. "I know."

He continued walking, and soon, Elena couldn't see him anymore. He disappeared around the corner, and Elena slumped to the ground, sobbing her heart out.

Damon paused as he heard her hit the ground, much like he had yesterday evening. She was crying again. Didn't she ever stop?

Maybe he should get her a blanket or something – it was freezing down here, and it was Christmas. But no…she was a slave. A servant. He couldn't care for her, not in the slightest.

* * *

Elena didn't know how long she'd been down there. A couple hours, maybe? Damon still hadn't come down to collect her. He had said he'd go down that night – but she'd hoped he might come sooner. It was freezing cold.

Elena shivered, wrapping her arms around herself tightly. Suddenly, she had an idea. Standing up, she moved quickly over to the door of the jail cell. If she could just reach her hand through those bars, she might be able to reach the bolt!

Thankfully, Elena's slim wrist slipped through the bars easily, and she forced her arm down, reaching her fingers out down to the lock. Where was it?

Her fingers wrapped around the bolt, and she smiled triumphantly. She slid the lock out of place, and the door swung open.

Carefully, Elena tiptoed down the hall. There didn't appear to be any door down here, and she groaned inwardly. She'd have to go upstairs.

The stairs were creaky, and she tried to make as little noise as possible as she made her way up them. She turned the corner at the top, her toes making contact with the plush carpet of the first floor.

There. A door. Seemingly, it lead to the outside world, and she smiled weakly. She might get out of here yet. She'd run to the nearest inn, find a place to stay. It didn't matter how far it was.

Then she remembered it was snowing, and winced. She'd probably get frostbite. Oh well, it was the only way. It was that, or stay here for another year.

Elena made her way towards the door, reaching for the handle and turning it as quietly as possible.

Just a little more…

"What do you think you're doing?"

Elena's hand dropped off the door handle immediately and she spun around in an instant. He was leaning against the wall, arms crossed, with a dark look in his blue eyes. Oh god, he was probably going to kill her…

* * *

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**~DelenaRain**


	3. Day Three

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* * *

_"What do you think you're doing?"_

_Elena's hand dropped off the door handle immediately and she spun around in an instant. He was leaning against the wall, arms crossed, with a dark look in his blue eyes. Oh god, he was probably going to kill her…_

"I-I w-was j-just...I-I w-was...I-I..."

Damon snarled, striding forward. "Trying to escape?"

Elena waited for the harsh blow to her cheek, but it never came. She turned back to him, shocked. Had he actually gotten angry without slapping her this time? It was like a Christmas miracle. She laughed humourlessly at this.

Damon raised an eyebrow. "Something funny?"

"N-no." Elena tried to keep her voice steady. She didn't want to show him how scared she really was.

"Well. I've decided your punishment." He smiled at her, and Elena shuddered. What would her punishment be? Maybe...maybe she should never have tried this. She could've just stayed in the basement, waiting for him to come get her. But if she had a chance now, she'd take it yet again.

"Tomorrow morning I'm hosting a banquet. I need servants to serve food and cook and help out. The job is hard and requires lots of slaves, and I've chosen you now."

Elena bit her lip. This really wasn't that bad, was it? A banquet she had to serve at. It couldn't be horrible. She'd been sure his punishments were worse, maybe something like whipping or torture...

Damon smiled cruelly. "Oh don't worry. My usual punishments are much more like what I know you're thinking. But since you're new, and since I need an extra slave for tomorrow, you'll do."

She kept her eyes on the ground, trying to figure out how bad this would be. Surely it wouldn't result in something horrible happening, right?

Damon led her up the many flights of stairs, holding her to his side tightly. He shoved her in the slave quarters and she immediately went to her bed, wanting to get away from him as soon as possible. Elena lay down on the mattress that sat upon the iron bed frame and curled up, facing the window as she waited for him to leave. He didn't.

A few seconds later, Damon appeared in front of her, and she jumped, sitting up in the bed and scooting away. He only moved with her, still smirking.

"Oh, and _Elena_, don't disappoint me tomorrow." He said, wagging his finger. "Otherwise, I'll give you a _real _punishmetnt."

His voice was icy cold and Elena shivered. The room suddenly seemed a lot colder and she wrapped her arms around herself, just like she had the night before. When was Damon going to leave?

He stood up, answering her silent question, and strode out the door, before looking back once more.

"It's a cold night." He said with a smirk. "I'd wrap up in those blankets...oh wait." He grinned. "There are none."

The lock in the door clicked, closing her in there, and Elena listened as his heavy footsteps echoed down the stairwell. She lay down on her bed, fighting back the tears. Why was she so weak? Why couldn't she fight the water that always seemed to be in her eyes?

That was it. Tomorrow was a new day, and things were going to change. She would be strong. She would stand up for herself as many ways as she could. And she wouldn't cry, not in front of him.

She might cry inside at whatever he did to her, but on the outside, she couldn't show it. Not anymore. Elena curled up into a ball, staring at the moon, and slowly fell asleep.

* * *

Elena's eyes opened groggily, and she coughed, shivering. Morning didn't bring any warmth - it was just as cold as the nights were. At least, up here in the slave quarters - or the attic, she guessed - it was.

"I see you're awake already." A cold voice said, and Elena's heart nearly jumped out of her chest when she saw Damon sitting at the foot of her bed, exactly like yesterday.

Remembering her decision from last night, she tried to keep her voice strong. "Yeah."

"What did you say?"

Her resolve wobbled. "Yes, _master." _She spit the last word through her teeth, trying to make it sound like an insult. He only chuckled, shaking his head.

"You would be wise not to speak to me like that." He said, and then Elena couldn't breathe. His fist was wrapped around her neck in a choking hold, and she struggled for air.

After a moment, her face began to turn blue, and Damon waited. When she gave in, so would he.

Eventually, a tear slipped from her eye, and he grinned. He'd already figured out her little game. Trying to act strong, but secretly crying inside. And he wanted to make her show it. The tear proved it and he let her go. She collapsed in a heap, gasping for breath as she hid her face in the mattress.

Elena felt humiliated. She hadn't even talked to him for 30 seconds and she'd already failed at trying to look strong by letting a tear escape her eye as he let the air drain from her lungs. How could she be so weak? She took a deep breath. One mistake didn't have to be followed by more.

Damon threw something at her, and she caught it swiftly. A white dress? What on earth...oh right. The banquet.

"This is for the banquet." Damon told her. "And this." He handed her a brush, and Elena's heart jumped with joy at the sight of it. She'd been wanting one for days! Her hair was a mess for sure. Not that she'd had the chance to find a mirror and look...

"And these." Damon threw a pair of gold shoes at her, and she studied them. Gold ballet flats. And everything - the dress and shoes - was in her size.

"Make yourself presentable." Damon told her. "And take a shower, you're filthy."

Elena bit her lip. Do not cry. Do not cry. He was impulsive, that's why he'd said it.

She nodded slowly. "Where can I find one?"

He pointed to a small door on the left side of the room. Oh. The washrooms for the slaves. Elena had noticed a couple other slaves last night - but they'd come in long after her, and left in the early hours of the morning. She didn't really want to talk to them. They were all probably messed up after being with Damon for so long.

Elena trudged towards the bathroom. She looked inside, swallowing. Ugh. The state of these washrooms were disgusting.

"I'll wait here." Damon told her.

Elena shivered uncomfortably. She didn't much like the idea of Damon waiting outside while she showered, but...it didn't look like she had much of a choice.

The water was absolutely freezing. She jumped back in shock as it hit her in the face. Too cold. But slowly, she slipped her clothes off, leaving them in a pile on the ground as she rinsed out her hair, scrubbed her body, and sighed in relief as the dirt finally came out from under her fingernails. It was nice to feel _clean _again. Not that she believed she'd stay clean for long.

When Elena was done, she stepped out of the shower, wringing her hair out. She looked around, her face paling. There was no towel. But then how...

Damon was growing impatient. He'd seen how dirty she was, but still. How long did a girl take to shower?

"You'd best hurry your pretty little ass up." He snarled, and Elena jumped. What would she do?

"I, uh...there's no towel."

Damon's face broke out into a grin. No towel? Perfect.

"It doesn't matter. Get out here and get dressed."

"No!" Elena knew it was a stupid thing to say, but she wasn't going to give in. Her body was the one thing he would not get, no matter what. It was the one thing that she still seemed to own.

She was proud of herself. She was acting strong again! Her plan was working.

"I will come in and drag you out by the hair."

To be honest, Elena would rather he do that. She wasn't going to give in. That asshole would not see her naked. She stepped back into the shower, pulling the curtain over it and hiding. It wouldn't do any good, but still.

Wait...the shower curtain! Quickly, Elena pulled it off the rings and wrapped it around herself. She stepped out of the shower again. Not great but good enough. As long as he didn't see anything.

She walked out of the bathroom and Damon raised an eyebrow at her choice in...towels.

"Smart." He commented, having to give it to her for thinking of it. This girl, Elena, clearly wasn't stupid. He felt strangely impressed by the way she'd defied him, yelling 'No!' when he'd told her to get out of the bathroom.

"Dress in these, and be fast. I need to get you down to the kitchens."

He threw the clothes and shoes at her, and Elena grimaced as she thought of the kitchen. Disappearing into the bathroom once again, she pulled on the shoes first, then the dress. The outfit was quite pretty. Only, one problem...

She tried desperately to lace up the back of the dress herself, since it laced up just like a corset would. But the strings were too complicated. She groaned.

Elena tiptoed out of the bathroom. Damon was still sitting on the bed, and he turned when he saw her, raising his brows.

"Can you...?" She gestured to the back of the dress, and he smirked, walking over to her.

"My pleasure." His cool breath tickled her neck, and she shivered...but not in fear. Elena felt his smooth hands gently tying up the strings in her dress, and the breath was almost knocked out of her as he did the ties up tightly, constricting her airways. His hands traveled up to her neck, fixing the sleeves of the dress into place, and she bit her lip at the fiery contact. But then it was over, and he removed his hands.

Elena felt him pick up the brush, and then he was combing her hair into straight lines. His gentle touch almost felt good. Wait...no! NO! No, it didn't feel good, it couldn't...

"You better get down to the kitchens." He said, putting the hairbrush down and taking her arm. They walked down the familiar steps once again and Damon pushed her towards the kitchens.

"Remember, _Elena." _She jumped at his use of her name. "Don't disappoint me."

She shuddered as he walked away. The way he'd said her name was so...smooth. The way it had olled off his tongue, the way he had pronounced the 'E'...

She shook the thoughts out of her head and headed towards the kitchens, preparing herself. It was then that she realized he had addressed her twice that day as 'Elena.'

* * *

Damon sat, his feet propped up on the table, watching with amused eyes as his guest laughed. The banquet was going quite well. So far, nothing had gone wrong, and he was pleased. All of his guests were much like himself - most of them men who lived in fancy manors with plenty of servants.

Klaus had the been the hardest to please. Although they were friends - considerably close - Klaus had always been one to judge easily and wanted to be entertained at all times. But tonight, he seemed impressed. The servants had done nothing wrong, the food was 'delectable', and Klaus really did look like he was enjoying himself.

"Damon." Klaus said, leaning forward into his chair. "This is quite a show you've put on." He gestured to the golden curtains that hung all the way from the ceiling of the ballroom, the long table that seated 100 people, and the many servants that stood ready with trays.

Damon grinned. "I thought so."

He clinked his glass, and everyone looked up from their meals. "Dessert." Damon announced, gesturing for his servants to begin placing things on the table.

The chatter started up again, and the room was filled with noise. He smirked. It was Elena's turn to serve now. She hadn't been one of the servants to serve dinner - she'd been put on dessert duty with a handful of others.

He watched as she emerged from the kitchens, carrying a tray of wine.

Elena's heart was pounding in her chest. She was so nervous she was sweating bullets, and everyone could probably see it. _Don't disappoint me. _Damon's earlier words echoed through her head, and she tried to keep her balance as she held up the incredibly heavy tray filled with wine.

Damon motioned with a flick of his wrist for her to attend to him and the man called Klaus, and she stumbled over quickly. _Don't disappoint me. Don't disappoint me. Don't disappoint me. Don't -_

"A beautiful servant you have there." Klaus mused. Elena swallowed angrily. How dare he talk to Damon about her like she wasn't standing right in front of them? But she had to be careful. _Don't disappoint me._

"Yes." Damon said softly, and Elena's heart jumped to her throat. In a way, Damon had just called her beauiful, hadn't he? A warm feeling filled her chest at the unexepected compliment, and she quickly shook it away. Damon was evil. He was a terrible person. She couldn't ever feel anything for him; she wouldn't allow it.

Damon's eyes traveled over her, drinking in her beauty. Klaus was right. Elena was extremely beautiful. Not that it mattered. She was his slave, nothing more.

"Your drink sir." She said politely, handing Damon his wine. He nodded at her, and she took another glass off the tray, preparing to give it to Klaus. Suddenly, Elena's foot slipped out from under her, and she fell forward with a gasp.

The tray slipped from her hands, landing on the table roughly. The glasses smashed instantly, coating Klaus's white suit with red wine. Elena's front side hit the table, and she quickly stood up, brushing herself off.

She gasped at the sight of Klaus's suit. It was ruined.

"You filthy little wretch!" Klaus snarled. "Look at what you've done!" He glared daggers at her, and Elena stumbled backwards in fear. This man was dangerous.

_Don't disappoint me. _Damon's eyes were narrowed at her into tiny slits, and her cheeks burned red from humiliation. Elena turned for the door desperately.

And then she ran like hell.

* * *

Elena didn't know where she was going, only that it was away from here. She sprinted through the kitchens, knocking over a tray of food and earning glares from the other servants.

Her feet hit the carpeted floor and she ran through the corridor, turning corners and running up flights of steps until she was out of breath. She had no idea where she was now, only that she was completely lost and was deep within the manor.

Where in hell was she? None of these rooms were familiar - after all, she had only seen the entrance, living room, slave quarters, and kitchens. Well, and the dungeons. But by now, she had no idea how to get to any of those.

Picking a random door, Elena threw it open and ran inside.

The room was massive. There was an overly large bed, and any other items of what was surely rich and expensive furniture. Elena quickly observed that there was a patio, and launched herself towards it. The doors were locked, and she tried in vain to get them open, but they were shut securely.

Footsteps echoed through the hall, and Elena clapped a hand over her mouth to keep from screaming. He was coming. She dove behind the curtain, wishing she could melt into the wall.

She knew she'd embaressed him in front of all his guests by being so clumsy. He was going to murder her. She was going to die.

"You know, Elena, hiding in my bedroom probably wasn't the best option for you."

A cold chill ran through Elena, paralyzing her with fear. He was here. In the room. _His _room. She should've known, what with all the fancy furniture and such. She'd picked the worst possible room to hide in.

His footsteps came closer and closer, and the curtain was torn away from her.

She whimpered. Damon was standing, his arms crossed over his chest, right in front of her. His eyes were still narrowed into tiny slits, and his mouth was set in a firm line.

"Do you know what happened out there?" He hissed. "Klaus was furious at me. He gave me a lecture about picking _decent _slaves. I had to send all of my guests home because of you. You completely and publicly embarressed me, Elena. You have also throughly embarrassed yourself."

_Do not cry. Don't give him the satisfaction. He doesn't deserve it. Just close your eyes and wait for the blow to come. _Elena tried to reason with herself, but she could feel the tears brimming in her eyes. So much for her plan of trying to appear strong.

"Do you remember what I said would happen if you disappointed me?" Damon hissed, his hands pinning her wrists to her side as he backed her against the wall.

Elena shook. "Y-yes."

"Good." He raised his chin. "Then you know what I have to do."

"N-no, please..."

She knew begging wouldn't do any good, but it was worth a shot. What would he do to her, before he killed her? Torture her? Chain her up and whip her? Beat her? Something was poking her neck, and with a gasp, Elena's body filled with ice as she realized what it was.

His fangs. He was going to bite her.

"No! No! Please no! Damon, wait, please!" Using his first name wouldn't get her any points, but she was beyond caring. His eyes flared with anger at her use of his real name, then softened.

"Relax, or I'll make you."

"No! N-no!" She struggled around in his grip, in hysterics. But Damon was too strong. He held her down firmly against her chest, and her struggles eventually died down and she started to cry.

_Don't cry, don't give in..._But she was, and she couldn't stay strong. Not with what he was about to do. She was full on sobbing now, and Damon's fangs brushed her neck again, silencing her for a moment.

His fangs pierced her neck, and she let out a scream.

But the agony never came. Instead, pure pleasure enveloped her body as he drank from her, draining her blood as the life flowed from her to him.

It felt like she was floating. The way his arms softly held her to him, his nose brushing her neck, his hair tickling her cheek...once again, pure pleasure. There was nothing agonizing about this.

She briefly wondered if he meant to make it feel this good, and then decided that he had. He wasn't stupid, Damon had probably done this many times before.

Eventually, her eyes closed sleepily and she collapsed against him. He caught her, and his fangs retracted from her neck. Blood flowed freely from the small, painless wound, and Damon placed a hankerchief on it, stopping the flow of crimson liquid.

Elena was tired. So tired she couldn't keep her eyes open. She felt his arms lift her, and then she drifted off into confusing dreams.

* * *

**Review if you want to see the next chapter!**

**What did you guys think? Should I slow the romance down a bit...was it a little too fast? I tried to make Damon cruel but starting to warm up a teensy bit towards her by not really hurting her at the end. **

**18 days till VD RETURNS! (and Delena)**

**Anyways, drop a review please? Yes? No? Continue? Forget?**

**~DelenaRain**

**VOTE FOR DELENA ON PORTRAIT AND ON **

**NOW! AND THEN REFRESH AND REPEAT.**


	4. Day Four

**Ok. Guys, VOTE VOTEVOTEVOTEVOTE!**

**1) go to portrait magazine .net**

**2) VOTE! It's on the home page, where it says 'Annie and Liam'**

**3) REFRESH AND REPEAT. DELENA MUST WIN!**

**Sorry this chapter took so long - I've been away and had to write it on my IPad, which is why it's terrible.**

**But enjoy anyways, and review.**

* * *

_Eventually, her eyes closed sleepily and she collapsed against him. He caught her, and his fangs retracted from her neck. Blood flowed freely from the small, painless wound, and Damon placed a hankerchief on it, stopping the flow of crimson liquid._

_Elena was tired. So tired she couldn't keep her eyes open. She felt his arms lift her, and then she drifted off into confusing dreams._

Damon had watched her for the entire night. She'd collapsed into his arms downstairs, and, brushing the hair out of her face, he'd wiped the remaining blood off her neck and had picked her up in his arms.

He had carried her up to the slave quarters and laid her on her bed, watching as her hair fanned out on the dirty mattress.

How she managed to sleep on that disgusting thing puzzled him, and he'd let a hand trail down her cheekbone softly as she slept.

Damon couldn't care for Elena. He couldn't. She was his slave, his property, and he was her master.

But that didn't change the fact that she was beautiful, and so for the entire night he'd watched her with a cold gaze. Someday soon, he would claim her body.

Her blood had tasted like heaven. Damon had never tasted something so perfect. The way her very life had seemed to flow into him had left him extremely satisfied, and he wanted more than anything to sink his teeth back into her soft flesh and drink his fill.

But anymore would kill her, and so he watched as she slept, noticing how the tears on her cheeks dried and left her olive skin slightly red.

She was a fascinating creature, and Damon couldn't deny it. She'd angered him earlier, yes, but he felt he couldn't really stay angry with the taste of her sweet blood still on his tongue.

But that didn't mean he wouldn't punish her.

* * *

Elena's eyes opened slowly, and she sat up quickly. A wave of nausea hit her and she winced, clutching her temple. She was lying in her bed, in the slave quarters. As always, there was not one blanket or pillow in sight.

"Relax." A cool voice said, and Elena immediately recognized the blue eyed vampire that sat on the end of her bed, just like he always did.

Memories of the night before came rushing back. Dropping the tray, disappointing Damon in front of everyone, humiliating herself, and then pleasure that was supposed to be pain as he bit her.

"I took a little too much." Damon informed her, not an ounce of regret in his eyes. She glared angrily at him.

"I can see that - no, feel that!" Elena hissed. She was enraged, and didn't care if he got mad or not. How could he bite her like that? The truth was, she didn't want to admit how good it felt, but blaming it on him seemed like a good option.

"You have no right to speak to me like that, slave." Damon growled, and she winced as 'slave' came up again. Yesterday, he'd started to call her Elena...had she ruined that for good?

"You would do well to behave after humiliating me last night." He said darkly, and Elena bit her lip nervously.

"Why did you have to...bite me?" She asked without thinking. Rage flared in Damon's eyes, and he studied her carefully, running a hand down her arm. Elena pushed it off.

"I was punishing you." He reminded her, and Elena swallowed thickly at the reminder.

"But your punishment is not over. Today, I am attending a lunch at a friend's house. One of the guests from yesterday actually." He informed her, and Elena raised her eyebrows.

"But you all just had a party yesterday!" She protested, then stopped at Damon's look of rage.

"I am _extremely _close to using a whip on you." He hissed, and Elena gasped. A whip? No way in hell! She decided that it was probably best to keep her mouth shut for the next few minutes.

"Anyways, I'm bringing you to attend to me." Damon finished, and Elena wondered what was punishing about this. Sure, she'd screwed up yesterday, but she wasn't about to make the same mistake...so what was punishing about attending to him at this lunch thing?

She nodded silently, and Damon looked at her black slave clothes.

"You can wear those." He nodded at them, and started for the door. Elena briefly wondered why he would put in her such ugly clothes, before shrugging it off and turning to him.

"Da-" She stopped at his look of anger. "Master?"

"Yes?" He asked, clearly irritated.

"It was an accident." Elena blurted, and Damon knew she was referring to yesterday's events at the banquet. He studied her for a minute, before turning and leaving silently, without a word.

* * *

Elena didn't know what was worse: Damon not saying anything in response to her apology, or not knowing what her punishment was exactly. When she was finished dressing she made her way downstairs, wandering through the halls of the manor.

Damon hadn't said where to meet him - so how exactly was she going to find him?

"Looking for me?" A voice asked casually, and Elena turned to see him leaning in a doorway, arms crossed over his chest and eyes glittering dangerously. She nodded and started towards him, following him through the halls until they reached the front door.

Damon led them outside, and she watched as a fancy wagon pulled up in front of them. There was the closed box that was clearly for seating, and Damon made his way towards it.

She followed him, and he pushed her back. Damon stared at her, a smirk present on his face.

"Oh no, sweetheart. You'll be walking. The entire ride." He smiled cruelly and Elena shook her head in disbelief. This was her punishment? Walking the entire way to this godforsaken vampire's house?

"B-but-"

Damon hushed her and brought out a rope from behind his back. Eena gasped.

"No!" She tried desperately to fight him off, but Damon simply laughed coolly and tied the rope tight around her wrists, then secured the length of it to the back of the wagon, giving Elena about 10 feet of room. He climbed into the seating area, and Elena's jaw dropped open as she glared at him.

"How far?" She asked, teeth gritted as she prepared for the answer.

"Far." He responded emotionlessly, and Elena flinched. Perfect. Just perfect. Damon grinned at her as he looked at her through the wagon door. "Have fun." He whispered, and burst into laughter as he slammed the wagon door, leaving her standing in the mud.

"Wait!" Elena cried, in a last ditch attempt to save herself from this madness. There was no answer from the wagon, and Elena slumped, feeling the wheels begin to roll, pulling her along with it.

* * *

4 hours. An entire 240 minutes Elena had been pulled along harshly by the wagon. Her feet were caked in blisters - Damon had given her no shoes - and were bleeding. She'd already let a couple tears escape her weary eyes, and she was beginning to feel faint. How long would he keep this up?

To make it worse, it was now storming like hell, and Elena was soaked and covered in mud.

Clearly, Damon didn't feel the slightest remorse for what he was doing. She hadn't heard a thing from the wagon the entire 4 hours. He didn't care, and she knew it.

Yesterday, for the slightest time, she'd thought he might actually care when he hadn't slapped her or put her in the dungeons for embarrassing him. But this just proved that theory was wrong.

Elena's entire body was on fire from the burning pain in her legs, abdomen...you name it.

Her heavy lids were closing as she stumbled along, and she knew she couldn't keep it up for much longer.

It now made sense why Damon had made her wear her dirty slave clothes. He wouldn't want any nicer ones getting ruined, would he?

Elena's foot caught on a rock in the middle of the pathway, and she slipped, her back colliding harshly with the muddy ground and knocking the breath out of her. She let a tear escape her eye as another cut quickly formed on the soft skin of her back.

* * *

Damon had been watching her from his spot beside the only wagon's window the entire ride. He'd listened with no pity as she'd cried, watched as more cuts formed on her olive skin, and raised his eyebrows as the rain soaked her clothes, surely freezing her.

She looked faint, as if she could collapse at any second.

He watched with cold eyes as she slipped on something, and tumbled backwards, her back hitting the ground with a smack that he could clearly hear through the walls of the wagon.

Damon watched as she began to cry, her sobs echoing outside the wagon as she was pulled along the ground on her back. He rolled his eyes, irritated. Did she ever stop crying?

Trying to drone her out, Damon growled as her sobs only got louder. He called for the driver to stop, then wrenched the door open and jumped out as the wagon came to an abrupt stop.

He made his way over to her, then crouched down to assess the damage.

The smell of her sweet blood lingered in the air around him, and he could just imagine taking her in his arms and sinking his sharp fangs into her delicate little throat.

Elena looked up at him through her wet lashes. She couldn't believe he'd done this to her. She coughed, and he stared at her.

Damon pulled her up out of the mud, gently untying her bound wrists. She sniffed, rubbing them. They were bright red, and had blisters just like her feet from the burning rope.

"There is no lunch party." Elena mumbled.

He nodded. "No."

"You did this just to...punish me?"

He cocked his head, and Elena knew that was a yes. Damon brushed a strand of hair from her cheek, gazing into her doe eyes. She still had silent tears leaking from them, and he sighed.

"I thought you were stronger than this, you know. You've disappointed me."

"It wouldn't be the first time." Elena spat, then instantly regretted her tone. Damon raised his eyebrows, then reached for the rope.

"No!" Elena cried. "I-I'm sorry! Just please don't make me do it again!"

Damon studied her for a moment, then put the rope down and pulled her into a standing position. He shoved her roughly into the wagon and pushed her to the floor.

"You won't be getting mud on my seats, so you can stay down there." He told her, and Elena scrambled into the corner furthest away from him, curling into a ball and turning her face away.

Damon watched her intensely for the journey home, trying to figure out what she was thinking. Was she in terrible pain? Well, of course she was. Was she crying? Yes - he could smell the saltiness of her silent tears in the air.

The wagon rolled to a stop and he hauled her out, guiding her into the house. She avoided his eyes and he led her into a room that looked to be his study.

There was a large desk, and a leather sofa in the corner. The room was even complete with a connected washroom. But why had he brought her in here?

He pushed her onto the ground and she crawled into the corner, watching as he disappeared into the bathroom, then emerged shortly after with a washcloth and bucket of water.

Damon knelt down in front of her, taking the warm cloth and running it over her face. Streaks of dirt came off, and Elena flinched at his touch.

"Why don't we run you a bath?" Damon purred. Elena's eyes widened.

"No!" She cried, knowing fully well that he planned to be there while she bathed.

He took her chin in his hands and roughly tilted her face upwards, forcing her to meet his gaze. He silently watched her for a moment, and Elena swallowed, uncomfortable.

"You would do well not to speak to me like that, _Elena._" Damon said coldly, and she stared into his icy blue eyes, trying to find an ounce of warmth in their aqua depths. There was nothing._  
_

"I told you I was sorry." She whispered. He cocked his head.

"Mmm." He took the wet cloth once again and ran it down her arms, over her shoulders, and across her face, cleaning the mud off.

Elena shivered at his touch, and let out a hiss of pain as his hand that held the washcloth reached her aching back.

Damon raised his eyebrows, and began to undo the top corset part of her slave dress. She smacked his hand off, shocked. There was no way he would see her back nude!

Damon rolled his eyes. "Relax. I won't see anything but your back."

Hesitantly, she allowed him to undo the strings. His hand ghosted across her wounds from the fall in the mud and she gasped in pain.

"That looks sore." Damon commented, and Elena gritted her teeth together as he began to wash her back, the washcloth rubbing against her wounds roughly.

"Here." He said, cleaning the rest of the blood off and inspecting them. "Let's see."

Elena allowed him to look at her back for a moment, before he spoke up.

"I won't allow you any of my blood, because you don't deserve any." He said casually, running a hand down her back.

His hand slipped slightly lower, and Elena cried out, feeling it graze her right hipbone.

"Get off of me!" She shrieked, pulling away. He grinned, remembering the silky feel of her tender flesh that covered her hip.

"But I can give you some painkillers and medicine. Can't have you skipping work tomorrow, can we?" He smirked and handed her a bottle of pills.

Elena shot him a glare, then uncapped the bottle of painkillers and began to swallow them. Suddenly, a hand wrapped around her throat, constricting her airways and holding the pills in her throat.

Elena began to choke. She couldn't breathe. Why was Damon doing this? Had he not punished her enough?

"Say it again." Damon snarled, keeping his hand tightly around her throat.

Elena stared at him helplessly, and he growled.

"Apologize."

She coughed and sputtered, the pills that were stuck in her throat and his hand around her neck keeping her from any chance of breathing.

"I-I'm sorry for what h-happened yesterday a-at the b-banquet." She managed to choke out, and stared him directly in the eye to get the message across.

His blue orbs stared intently back, but he did not remove his hand.

"P-please!" She pleaded desperately, her vision beginning to go dark from lack of air.

He watched her chest convulse in her tight corset as she struggled to breathe, and leaned in to whisper something in her ear.

"_Never_ disappoint me again." He hissed, and released her neck from his unbreakable grip.

She coughed up the pills and he watched her chest rise and fall as she panted. Elena turned away from him, hoping he wouldn't see her tears as they leaked out silently. It was so horrible, coming that close to death itself. And all he'd had to do to take her that far was wrap his hand around her neck.

She took deep breaths to calm herself, and brushed her tears away.

Damon stood up, disappearing into the bathroom, and she figured he'd be putting away the cloth.

She sat up, looking around the room. There was a book lying on the desk, and she stood up, waling over.

Elena picked it up. Call Of the Wild? Really? Damon didn't seem like he would ever read something like that. In fact, she could barely imagine him reading anything.

It had always been her favourite book, and Elena would have liked more than anything to read it again, even if it was just the first page. She glanced around for any signs of Damon returning from the bathroom, and, seeing none, began to read.

Soon, Elena was so engrossed in the book -and it was only the 2nd page- that she didn't notice the footsteps behind her.

"You can read?" A surprised voice asked, and Elena spun. His face matched his tone -surprised- and she wondered why he'd thought she couldn't read.

"Yes." She responded, finding it hard to look directly into the blue depths of his shocked eyes. "Call Of the Wild is my favourite book."

"Same here." Damon said, walking over to her and peering down at the book.

"My parents taught me how to read. I didn't always live in an orphanage." She said softly, the memory flashing through her mind. He raised his brows.

"You came from an orphanage?" He asked, and she nodded.

"Hmm. I just didnt think slaves could read." Damon said, glancing at her with interest in his blue orbs.

"I wasn't always a slave." Elena defended in a nasty tone, and his gaze turned cold.

She bit her lip. "Sorry."

"No, you're not."

Elena smiled in spite of herself. She felt oddly comfortable now, and had to remind herself that less than 5 minutes ago, this man had nearly strangled her to death.

"No, I'm not." She admitted.

He smirked. "You fascinate me, Elena. One minute you're in tears and the next you're making jokes."

She shrugged, wincing as he twirled her hair around her fingers. There was something she wanted to ask him. But could she be brave enough?

"I...when...yesterday at the banquet...you said I was beautiful."

She watched his face change..only it didn't. It stayed emotionless.

"When Klaus said I was beautiful, you agreed. I was wondering...did you mean that?" She forced the words out, knowing she had to have the answer.

His face finally changed, and he looked down at her, brushing the hair out of her eyes. She swallowed at his light touch, wondering what he would say.

"Yes." He purred, and she stared, surprised.

"I think it's time we got you to bed." Damon told her, and Elena realized then that it was dark outside.

4 hours walking, and then 4 hours back in the wagon, plus the time it had taken to clean her up. So it was around 9:00?

"Remember, tomorrow you begin your duties...what's that?"

Damon's eyes were trained on her neck. Elena looked down, realizing she still wore her family locket. It was the last memory of her family that she could touch.

"I...nothing."

"My slaves are not allowed jewelry." Damon hissed, tearing the locket from her neck and placing it in one of the desk drawers.

"No! Please!" Elena cried, but Damon locked the drawer. "Please, don't..."

He was silent, and Elena slumped, placing Call Of the Wild back on his desk and sprinting out of the room, tears gathering in her eyes.

"Wait." He called, and she turned. Damon had a strange urge to comfort her, but he didn't know why.

"Keep it." He said, and Elena watched as he handed her the book. She took it slowly, confused. Her eyes met his, and Damon gazed into her doe eyes for a moment before she left.

Elena climbed the stairs quickly. She ran to her quarters and curled up on the bed, holding the book like a teddy. Realization crept in. Her last true possession was gone, locked in an evil vampire's desk, and he didn't want to give it back.

Footsteps echoed through the room, and she froze, stifling her sobs. What more could he possibly want? She closed her eyes tightly, hoping he'd think she was asleep.

Something soft and warm slid over her. A blanket? Was he giving her a blanket? Something slid under her head, too. A pillow?

"I know you're awake." Damon mused. "You can't fake it with me, sweetheart."

Damon pulled the blanket over her, tucking it under her chin and making sure her bare feet were covered before turning for the door.

"Be up at 5 to begin your duties." He said, and then was gone.

Elena was silent, laying there in shock as her body turned warm under the soft blanket. It smelled just like him, and she realized his last words meant nothing to her.

It was his actions that meant something; that were important.

Damon had given her a blanket and pillow. _Damon. _

* * *

**Review if you want to see the next chapter!**

**What did you guys think? Should I slow the romance down? You guys said it was great last chapter, but Im worried. I tried to make Damon have moments where he switches from ok to evil very quickly, since Damon's just like that. I thought the blanket thing at the end would be a good way to start it off.**

**Dont worry - it won't go fast, believe me.**

**What was your favourite part of the chapter?**

**Also, big question: some of you have requested that Damon like, rape Elena as one final evil act. I don't usually write m stories, and I'd have to change the rating then, but I could. It wouldn't be very graphic. I'm really not sure, though...what are your thoughts on those reviewers ideas?**

**10 days till VD!**

**~DelenaRain**


	5. Day Five

**Guys, VOTE VOTEVOTEVOTEVOTE!**

**1) go to portrait magazine .net**

**2) VOTE! It's on the home page, where it says 'Annie and Liam'**

**3) REFRESH AND REPEAT. DELENA MUST WIN!**

**Okay, enjoy ;P**

* * *

Elena sighed as she bent down on her knees, pulling out the sponge from the bucket filled with dirty water. Her morning had absolutely...sucked. She'd had to get up 5 AM, and pull herself out from under the warm blanket that _he'd _given her, and then had had to dress and come down here to become her duties. God, she already hated them.

Less than a week ago, she'd been living in the orphanage. It was unpleasant, but better than this. She had a soft bed with proper sheets and blankets. She'd been allowed to eat when she wanted. She was allowed to leave her room and go to the library, take a walk, head to the art room and paint...

And now here she was, kneeling on a cold floor at 5 AM, scubbing it furiously with a tiny sponge.

Elena's hands ached - they were now red and raw. She should've expected this - her hands would toughen up in a few days, but for now, they were going to hurt like hell. She stared furiously at the floor, trying to keep her mind off the pain in her hands as she scrubbed at it tiredly.

She couldn't, however, keep her mind off of Damon. Last night's small act of kindness, or act_s,_ kept swimming through her mind, and refused to leave. He'd given her a book, a blanket, and a pillow. Even after she'd humiliated him at that stupid banquet.

But that wasn't the only thing. Elena couldn't stop thinking about the other night, when he drank from her. The pleasure had been overwhelming, and when she'd fainted, it wasn't just from blood loss.

Her hand reached up to caress the small bitemarks on her neck softly, remembering the silky feel of his tongue and his sharp fangs as he sunk them into her.

She shouldn't have been thinking like that. Damon was evil. Pure, utter, evil. There was nothing she could do to change that.

Elena wiped her brow wearily, picking the bucket up and starting on the next room.

* * *

Damon didn't know why he was there. He shouldn't have been there, watching her. It was wrong.

He'd been sitting in his study, reading all morning. He'd tried to get back to his normal habits - after all, he had absolutely no care in the world. He had no job; wasn't expected to do anything. He could do whatever the hell he wanted - and what he usually did in a day was read, feed on someone, spend some time outside...it didn't matter, because he could do anything.

So why was he here, watching a serving girl scrub the dirty floors of an old room?

Right. Because he couldn't keep his mind off of her, and her delicious blood. He could still taste it on his tongue, could still feel her silky olive flesh and hear her thundering heart.

Damon wanted - no, ached for - another taste. Just one more. He needed to drink the delicious liquid, needed to feel it slide down his throat.

Damon watched as she kneeled on her dirty knees, scrubbing furiously at the floor. Her hands looked awfully sore, and he almost felt bad for a moment before remembering that he didn't care.

She was his slave, he was her master. Nothing more. Elena was nothing but a toy to him, a distraction on boring days like these. She was a bloodbag, an object. She didn't matter - she was a pathetic human.

That was true, right? Just a pathetic human.

Damn it. A pathetic human who's blood tasted like the finest liquid on earth. He started forwards, walking into the room and looking down at her. Just one more time.

* * *

Elena jumped at the sound of footsteps, dropping her sponge and spilling the bucket all over the floor. Her breath caught in her throat and she desperately started trying to clean the mess up, knowing who would be standing before her.

Didn't he have anything better to do then torment her?

"What more could you possibly want?" She whispered, blinking furiously. He'd already taken everything from her - her life, her locket, her modesty...

"You would do well to be more grateful. I could just as easily take away that blanket, the pillow, or maybe the book..." Damon towered over her, and she clumsily climbed to her feet.

He watched as she dusted her hands off, then finally met his eyes. He studied her for a moment, his blue eyes dark with hunger, and she shivered.

"Come here." Damon instructed, and Elena bit her lip, confused.

"I said, _come here._" He repeated, arching an eyebrow as he waited.

Elena swallowed, studying him. What did he need her for? Wait...his eyes. They were dark blue, and something was hidden within them. Was that...hunger?

Oh god no.

She backed away, letting out a scream as she wheeled around and sprinted for something, anything. The window! Elena was out of breath by the time she reached it, and she reached for the handle.

Arms encircled her waist, pulling her against a wall of muscle. She froze.

"Mmm." Damon purred into her neck, nuzzling his face in her hair. He held her tightly against his chest, rendering her unable to escape. He had her arms pinned to her sides, and he chuckled as she struggled in his unbreakable grip. "You smell delicious."

"Get away from me!" Elena cried fearfully. His grip tightened and she cried out as his fangs brushed her neck.

"I'm begging you, please...just let me go back to work, please..." Elena tried to reason with him, but he laughed coolly.

"I think I'll have a taste first. I'm quite hungry, Elena. Although I'm sure you figured that out..." She could feel him grinning into her neck madly, and he moved her hair out of the way, running his hands through it. She choked and pushed them off, and he growled.

"Stop this nonsense. I am going to drink from you, and you don't have a choice."

Elena slumped in his arms. There was no point fighting - he'd only make it more painful, wouldn't he? She had a feeling this time it wouldn't be so enjoyable.

Damon ran his fangs along her neck before settling on a spot and biting down. His fangs tore through her soft flesh, and she screamed in agony. It _hurt._ This wasn't like last time - the pain was unbearable! Damon's teeth were clamped down on her, embedded in her neck and holding her in place, and she could do nothing about it.

Her blood tasted even better then he remembered. It ran down his throat in streams and he gulped eagerly, listening to her screams of pain. He hadn't meant it to hurt so much - but with the way she was struggling, it was bound to.

Elena was beginning to feel faint. She began to sob from the unbearable burning pain, tears streaming down her cheeks as her strength slowly faded away.

Eventually, Damon withdrew his fangs, and she fell straight to the ground in a heap. He didn't catch her. Not this time.

Damon wiped his mouth with his sleeve, relishing in the perfect taste of her blood. He knelt down in front of her, cleaning her neck with a hankerchief. He'd been much more rough this time.

Her neck was messy, stained with crimson liquid that was running onto her chest. Damon slowly cleaned it off, then met her wide brown doe eyes, which were filled with tears.

He rolled his eyes, watching as she continued to sob. "Does that hurt, sweetheart?"

Elena coughed, her eyes flaring up. Yes! It had hurt like hell! And she hadn't even done anything - what the hell was wrong with him? How could he be so twisted?

He smirked. "Next time, you might not one to move around so much." He rolled his eyes - how had she not known that already?

Elena nearly threw up. _Next time? _So he was just going to drink from her whenever he wanted now?

Damon stood up, heading for the door. He felt satisfied now, and ready to relax. Elena's blood had calmed him. It truly did taste like heaven - he'd never seen anything like it.

"So that's it?" Elena choked out. He turned."You're just going to use me as your personal blood bag?"

Damon smiled cruelly. "Maybe." He smirked at her, and left the room without out another word. The truth was, he was planning on drinking from her more. Probably all the time - in fact, it was already getting hard to concentrate when thinking about her delicious blood. He made his way towards his lounge, settling down in one of the large leather chairs and sighing.

Why couldn't he stop thinking about Elena? It was just that...she was so _fascinating. _She was so brave sometimes, standing up to him and yelling. And then the next moment she'd be in tears, and the next she'd be laughing...

Elena Gilbert had fire. Fire that fascinated him.

* * *

Elena stared angrily at the doorway. She couldn't believe he'd just walked in like that, drained her blood, and walked out. Damon treated her like dirt - and yet sometimes he didn't. It was so confusing! Last night he'd given her those posessions, and now he was treating her like a human blood bag.

Which was probably what she'd always been to him.

She threw her sponge down angrily. She didn't want to do this anymore - he was just so _cruel. _Why should she clean his floors for him at 5 AM, while he lounged around feeding off of innocent people?

No. If Damon Salvatore wanted his goddamn house clean, he could clean it himself.

She wiped her tears that she'd shed during the bite away with her sleeve. She wanted to be strong, but sometimes, the things that he did really did just make her break down and sob.

And now her neck was on fire. The two little holes had widened from this stupid 2nd bite, and although he'd wiped the blood off, they still felt as if they were bleeding.

Elena glanced out the window. The snow was coming down heavily now - it had been snowing for days. Only it had stopped snowing yesterday - the day she'd been forced to walk behind the wagon. Perfect timing, right? Not. It would have been less painful...

But it was snowing now, and she wanted to go outside and play in it. As a child, snow had always been one of her favourite toys, even if wasn't exactly a toy.

Elena listened for any signs that Damon was around, and heard none. Maybe she could get outside for just a minute or two...

She quietly set the bucket and sponge now, then rose from the cold floor. Just five minutes - that was all she wanted. Five minutes to play in the snow...surely he wouldn't notice she was gone, right?

The front door wasn't hard to find. After walking through the manor this morning, Elena had finally gotten her bearings. Pretty soon, she was sure it would be easy to find her way around. After all, she would be working in this place for the next year...maybe longer, if Damon decided to keep her.

She passed by one of the other slaves - wasn't her name Alex? Elena smiled warmly at her, and she smiled back. Alex was one of the only nice slaves in this place - she'd shown her where to find a pair of shoes.

"Where are you going, Elena?" Alex asked, and Elena bit her lip.

"Outside."

Alex's eyes widened, and she nodded, then hurried on her way. Elena was confused. Was Alex afraid for her? But surely Damon wouldn't hear, even with his vampire hearing. This manor was so large...

Elena quietly slipped outside, shutting the door soundlessly behind her. If Damon found out...

He wouldn't. He was probably in his bedroom, or lounge, or study...he wouldn't notice, right?

The second her feet touched the snow, Elena cried out in joy. Just like she remembered - soft, cool, and powdery. She stooped down happily to feel it, letting it slip through her fingers.

There was a small field outside the manor, then a long row of trees. Behind the trees was a large lake - only it was frozen over. Maybe she could go skating sometime!

But Damon would never allow that. And she'd have to ask him for skates - he'd say no, of course.

Elena ran into the field, spinning around and sticking out her tongue to catch the falling snowflakes. They tasted better than the food she had to eat here. She lay down in the snow and rolled around, not caring about how soaked her dress would be by the time she got inside.

Elena laughed as she made a couple snow angels, then began to form some snowballs. She had no one to play with, but they were still fun to throw.

She hadn't felt so free in days. Damon hadn't let her outside once, apart from her punishment. And that had been horrible - no snow, just mud, rain, and pain.

She threw the snowballs at various trees, trying to hit the little nubs on their bark. Why hadn't she done this sooner?

Elena held her arms out and twirled around, bursting into happy laughter and giggling her heart out. She couldn't remember feeling this happy for months.

Unbeknownst to Elena, Damon's lounge was extremely near to where she was playing. It was on the side of the house, near the front - giving him a perfect view of the field.

Damon sat in the leather chair, reading. He remembered Elena's surprised face when she realized he liked to read - and smiled. It was one of his favourite activities.

Happy laughter filled the air, and Damon froze. He cocked his head, looking towards the window. Was someone outside? He stood up, opening the window and looking out.

She was spinning around in the field, giggling in delight. He watched as she tumbled to the ground, landing in a heap in the snow and holding her stomach while she laughed.

Elena had disobeyed him. She'd gone outside and left her chores unattended to. And here she was, laughing carelessly outside in the snow, as if she hadn't a care in the world.

She looked beautiful, Damon had to admit that. He'd never seen her smile like that before - and had _never _seen her laugh that way. Maybe he should just let her stay this way for a little while.

No, he couldn't. She'd disobeyed him _again. _

Amused, he watched as she began to build a snowman. Did she honestly believe he wouldn't hear her? Maybe she didn't. Maybe she knew he would see her, and just didn't care. Maybe she loved the snow so much that she would risk her life just to go outside and play in it.

After a moment, his gaze turned cold. Who was she to disobey him? That's right, his _slave. _Meaning she couldn't disobey him. And yet she had.

Damon stared furiously at her, wondering what he should do to punish her for this. Maybe he should just kill her. But he couldn't bring himself to do that. Why, though?

Something about this girl...made him want her alive. What was it?

* * *

Elena couldn't believe she'd gotten away with this so long. She'd really started to believe, after a few minutes, that he'd notice. Obviously, she'd been wrong.

She grinned in delight, and fell onto her back, watching as delicate snowflakes cascaded down around her.

Elena had an odd feeling, as if she was being watched. She glanced around. But she was the only person in the field.

_The manor. _What if somone was watching her through a window? She scanned every window, but there was no one standing at them, glancing down at her in anger.

Wait. On the corner of the house, a large bay window had been opened. Someone with dark raven hair, flashing blue eyes, and dressed entirely in black was watching her.

Elena made a choking sound. Damon's eyes were flashing with anger, and his arms were crossed over his muscled chest in fury. He'd caught her then. She was dead.

He shot her a dark smirk, and she could see his fangs beginning to elongate. He turned away from the window, and she knew he was coming for her.

Elena let out a shriek, then turned and began to run for her life.

God, she'd never run so fast before in her entire life! She headed for the row of trees. Maybe she could hide in the shadows! Running from a vampire was pointless - but hiding...

The second she reaced the trees Elena knew it was too light to hide here. So her only option was to keep running.

Only there was no more field - only the frozen over lake.

She gritted her teeth, and gingerly stepped onto it. It seemed sturdy enough, and she launched herself across it, sprinting as fast as she could.

Elena had just reached the middle of the lake when a sharp cracking sound sounded. She froze, her heart seeming to stop along with her.

The ice below her feet was breaking. Large cracks appeared below her feet, and her eyes widened in terror. The ice split beneath her, and she gasped.

Elena screamed as she plunged into the icy lake. She'd read stories about men falling off their dog sleds into frozen lakes before. None of them made it out alive - the cold got to them the second they fell in.

She flailed around frantically, trying to grasp for something - anything. But she was too far down, and she couldn't see a thing.

Elena kicked, and jolted upwards. Her head connected with ice and she let out a muffled scream under the water. This was it. She was going to die - no, she was going to drown. Just like her parents had, in a cold lake. It was too similiar.

The water around her face turned red, and she knew she was bleeding from the bash to her head. The cold was slowly freezing her, rendering her unable to move.

Elena's lungs filled with water, and she choked. Her last breath of air was gone. This was it. Any minute now. Her lungs were aching, and her chest began to convulse - one of the final steps to drowning.

She closed her eyes, waiting for the pain to stop. It was over.

Only it wasn't.

Strong arms wrapped around her waist, pulling her upwards, and her eyes shot open in shock. She was hauled upwards, out of the water and into the snow bank beside the lake.

Her weary brown eyes met bright blue ones, and she gasped. She'd completely forgotten about Damon. So this really was it. He was going to kill her.

"Are you crazy?" Damon shouted furiously, slapping her hard against the face. She whimpered and brought her hand up to her wounded cheek.

"You could have been killed!" He yelled, and Elena coughed up water.

"I-I didn't k-now the i-ce would b-break...I won't do i-it a-again!"

"DAMN RIGHT you won't!" Damon shouted, and she flinched. Why was he so angry? It wouldn't have affected him if she died, would it?

"_And,_" Damon continued, eyeing her soaked clothes. "You disobeyed me! Who do you think you are?"

"I-I..."

Damon snarled, the veins under his eyes creeping out as his fangs elongated. Elena screamed, and he sunk his teeth into her neck. He swallowed hungrily, holding her down as she thrashed around.

Eventually, he pulled his fangs out, and Elena gasped for air.

_Damn it._ He shouldn't have bit her. She just made him so angry, disobeying him like that and then nearly getting herself killed...

It had scared him. He didn't want her dead, he wanted her alive and well, working for him. It was just...she was too young to die. Too innocent. She'd barely lived 17 years, and her life couldn't just be wasted. Because there was something special about her. The fire in Elena had caught his attention when he'd first met her, and it still burned bright, even after everything he'd done to her. None of his slaves were like that. So, yes, Elena _was_ special.

"W-why did you d-do that?" Elena cried, holding her burning neck. He was silent for a moment.

"You know something, Elena? You drive me crazy." He twirled her hair around his own fingers, watching as droplets of water ran down it.

Elena was silent. She didn't know how to respond to that.

"We'll talk about this later." Damon hissed, picking her up and flashing back the house. It took only 15 seconds before they were back on the porch, and he carried her inside, setting her down in his lounge.

"Here." Damon muttered, handing her a blanket. She pulled it on gratefully, and he poured himself a glass of Scotch. Damon watched her for a moment, his eyes boring into hers as he swished the Scotch around in the glass.

A knock at the door interrupted their gazes, and Damon turned. "Come in."

A slave walked in, fumbling around as she curtsied in front of him. "Master, you have a visitor."

Damon nodded, waving her away. He looked at Elena. "See, sweetheart? That's what you need to start doing. Curtsying. I'll expect you to begin that soon."

He grinned, and Elena glared at him. Damon set down his scotch, and looked at her for a moment before speaking. "Use the bathroom to shower. Here."

He handed her some fresh clothes - only they weren't slave ones. She gave him a funny look, and he shrugged. "I don't have any more slave ones. You'll have to wash yours. But if you want to go naked..."

He grinned, looking over her soaked clothes. She rolled her eyes, heading for the bathroom, and Damon walked out the room to find out who his visitor was.

Klaus was waiting in the entry, and Damon grinned. "Klaus! Come in, come in!"

Klaus smirked. "Damon. I wanted to apologize for my behaviour at the banquet. It's not your fault that that stupid whore is so clumsy."

A lump formed in Damon's throat. Klaus had called Elena a _stupid whore. _Something she wasn't.

What was wrong with him? It didn't matter. Maybe Elena was a stupid whore. In fact, she probably was...

"Let's drink, shall we?" Damon offered, clapping his friend on the back. Klaus smiled.

"Yes. And Damon?"

"Mmm?"

"I'd like to talk to you about that girl. What's her name again? Elena?" The words rolled off his tongue dangerously, and Damon gritted his teeth. Why was Klaus so interested in Elena? He nodded.

"Elena."

Klaus nodded. "Yes, Elena. I have an offer..."

* * *

Elena sighed happily as she twirled in front of the mirror. She looked pretty, she had to admit that. After the shower, her skin was clean and dirt free, and she'd blowdryed her hair. It was now silky, and soft, flowing in waves down her back. Maybe Damon had a straightening tool...

The clothes Damon had given her were soft, and warm. She wore a grey dress that came to her mid thighs that fit her in all the right places, and a light blue sweater on top. She had soft tights on, and ballerina slippers. Everything was perfect. Heck, even the lingerie he'd given her wasn't too bad...

Damon appeared in the mirror behind her, and she jumped in surprise. He stared at her for a moment, noticing how amazing her curves really were. The clothes she wore amplified that.

"Who was the visitor?" Elena murmured. Damon's cool breath tickled her neck - which she'd placed a small bandage on - and he smelled her hair. It was soft, and bouncy, and the smelled like strawberries.

"Nevermind that." He said softly, and Elena's brows furrowed. He placed a hand on her waist, turning her towards him, and she shivered. "You look _delectable _in these clothes." He told her, smirking.

Elena smiled weakly. "Um. Thanks."

He laughed, shaking his head. Suddenly, his gaze darkened, and Elena swallowed thickly.

"Relish in having them while you can." He whispered.

Elena shook her head in confusion. "What?"

"Elena...you won't have clothes for much longer." He stared into her eyes deeply.

"W-what?" Okay, she was really confused now.

"You should get to bed. He wants you ready at 2 AM - he prefers to take people during the night."

Elena's heart began to pound. "_He? _What the hell are you talking about? _Who _are you talking about?"

Damon stared at her. His fingers combed through her hair, settling it on her shoulders. Was that...pity in his eyes? But why? For her?

Damon took a deep breath. "Elena...I'm selling you. I'm selling you to Klaus."

* * *

**R****eview if you want to see the next chapter!**

**DUN DUN DUN...**

**OK, so Damon WILL NOT rape Elena. Lol. No one wanted me to do that - and to be honest, I wasn't really sure it would work either. **

**So...will Damon ACTUALLY sell Elena to Klaus? Will he go through with it...or no? Review to find out ;) **

**One more question: so, I'm thinking of having Damon do one more big evil thing to Elena. I mean, he's not just going to stop being cruel, but it he was to do one more BIG terrible thing to Elena, what would you guys have it be?**

**5 days till VD!**

**~DelenaRain**


	6. Day Six

**Guys, VOTE VOTEVOTEVOTEVOTE!**

**1) go to portrait magazine .net**

**2) VOTE! It's on the home page, where it says 'Annie and Liam'**

**3) REFRESH AND REPEAT. DELENA MUST WIN!**

**Okay, enjoy the chapter...will Damon sell Elena to Klaus? :O**

* * *

_"Elena...you won't have clothes for much longer." He stared into her eyes deeply._

_"W-what?" Okay, she was really confused now._

_"You should get to bed. He wants you ready at 2 AM - he prefers to take people during the night."_

_Elena's heart began to pound. "He? What the hell are you talking about? Who are you talking about?"_

_Damon stared at her. His fingers combed through her hair, settling it on her shoulders. Was that...pity in his eyes? But why? For her?_

_Damon took a deep breath. "Elena...I'm selling you. I'm selling you to Klaus."_

Elena's heart stopped. "You're-you're w-what?"

He sighed. "I'm selling you to Klaus."

She gasped. "NO! No, Damon, no! No! You can't do that!" When she'd met Klaus at the banquet, he'd been so _cruel. _Who knows what sort of things he'd do to her?

_"You filthy little wretch!" _Klaus's words from the banquet burned through her mind, reminding her of how horrible he'd seemed. The look he'd given her was pure evil.

Damon sometimes looked like he wanted to slap her, and that was when she did very bad things. But Klaus...he'd looked like he wanted to tear her apart just for dropping the tray. She shuddered. No. This wasn't happening...

If Damon was evil, then Klaus was the devil himself.

He grasped her arms, holding her in place. "Elena, you must understand. It's best to make the switch now. I know you've only been here for 5 days, I know that. But we should do this before you get settled in." She struggled in his grip, and he pinned her to his chest.

"The money that Klaus offered was too much to pass up on. I'm sure you'll understand. And Klaus says he has...unfinished business with you. Something about what happened at the banquet."

Elena choked. "NO! NO! NO! Damon, no! NO! You can't make me go to him! Don't you get it? He'll torture me! He'll hurt me! He'll - he'll - he'll ki-kill-"

"Elena."

Tears began to fall from her eyes, and she twisted around in his grip blindly.

"Elena, look at me." He tilted her face upwards, forcing her to meet his eyes. "Ssh. Just relax. You need to be prepared for what he-"

"For what's he's going to do?" Elena shrieked. "Damon, I'm begging you, don't do this, please! I'll be a better s-slave, I p-promise! I know w-what I-I did today was w-wrong, but I'm so, so s-sorry...please don't do this...he'll torture me and kill me..."

"Elena."

"NO! You c-can't! P-please D-Damon! I promise I'll d-do better! I-I'll curtsy, and s-serve you breakfast in bed, a-and wash every floor and window in the house, and I won't s-scream when you drink from me..."

"_Elena." _

"N-no! D-damon n-no! I'll do anything!"

"ELENA!" He roared, and she jumped in fright. His eyes softened, and he watched her tremble. "Elena, the deal's already been made. When I sign the contract tomorrow, that'll be it. I promise you I'll tell Klaus to be careful with you, I know you're not used to these types of things, but-"

"Damon please!" Elena begged. She was full on sobbing now. So this was it. Her life really was over. Damon was going to sell her to a demon, like she was a piece of dirt.

"I'm nothing but property to you, am I?" She whispered weakly, and he sighed.

"Elena-"

"How can you do this? How can you just sell me, just give me away? Don't you know what Klaus w-will do to me?" She continued to sob, and he closed his eyes tiredly.

"Elena listen. We need to talk about Klaus."

He looked into her watery eyes, wincing as her lower lip wobbled, signalling more tears. Sure enough, they came. "Listen. When you work for Klaus, things will be different. He's not like me. He'll be far more rough. I know Klaus, I really do, and I know that that's his style. He'll...he'll beat you. He'll whip you, hurt you..."

Elena sobbed into her hands, refusing to meet his eyes.

"And you need to be prepared for that." Damon continued. "I just want you to know this, so it won't shock you. Because there are things Klaus will do to you, that I haven't. There are some things that I don't do to you, to any of my slaves, that others do."

Elena looked up at him briefly. "Like w-what?" She moaned.

He stared at her. "Most masters like to...claim the bodies of their slaves."

She felt her stomach turning, and Elena knew she was going to be sick. "No." She choked. "No! H-he can't have my b-body! NO!"

"Elena, calm-"

"No..." She sobbed. "I-I don't want, I-I can't have my first time being...being..."

"What?" Damon said, shocked.

Elena looked up at him through bleary eyes. "I'm-I'm a virgin." She whispered, and Damon moaned. Perfect. All the more painful for her. She was going to freak now, he was sure of it.

He felt sick, now knowing that she was a virgin, that no one had ever been down there. And Klaus would take that away frmo her forcefully. He would rape her. He pushed the violent thoughts out of his mind, trying not to imagine Elena's terrified screams as...as...

"Please." Elena whispered. "Just don't do this, please..."

He sighed. "I am sorry. But I'm afraid it's too late. I told him that I agreed."

She pulled away from him, crawling into the corner and sobbing. He followed her, and she shrieked. "NO! Stay away from me! You're j-just as b-bad as he is! Y-you're selling me t-to him..."

"The money was too good to pass up, Elena. I've told you that already."

"The _money?_" Elena spat. "I'm a person! You can't just - how can you - but, no..."

He pressed his fingers to his temples, clenching his teeth. Elena was making this extremely difficult. Not because she was getting all worked up - he could handle that. Because he was feeling guiltier and guiltier by the second - something he shouldn't _ever _feel.

"What does he even want? What's so special about me? I made one mistake with the tray, it won't happen again!"

Damon sighed. "Klaus likes to choose his slaves very carefully, Elena. He finds ones with fire, and then he..."

"Breaks them." Elena finished, her eyes tearing up again. "He breaks them."

Damon nodded, and she buried her face in her hands, letting the tears fall again. Something had truly made her believe that Damon cared for her a small bit. But she'd been wrong. You couldn't trust anyone in this world. She had no one.

"You should get some sleep." Damon whispered. "Klaus will be here at 2 AM to collect you."

"So that's why I won't be needing clothes anymore? Because K-Klaus w-will r-rape m-me?" Elena's voice was shaking harder than it ever had before. Damon nodded reluctantly.

"But...I'm only seventeen years old...how can you just sell me like I'm a ragdoll or something? Like I'm a piece of dirt? I know you don't care about me, I know that, I do, but please...just don't let me go to him...Damon, please...please! I don't want...I can't have..." She buried her face in her hands. "It'll hurt so bad."

He bit his lower lip and tugged it between his teeth, agitated. _It'll hurt so bad. _Her broken words echoed through his mind.

"So that's it?" She whispered. "You're just...giving me up?"

Damon sighed. "It's not like that. I...I want the money."

"You're sick!" Elena screamed, sprinting out the door. She passed a couple servants in the hallway, who gazed at her worriedly, and she ignored them. Elena bounded up the stairs, running until she reached her room. She swung the door open and slammed it behind her, then curled up on her bed and sobbed.

Tomorrow, at this time, she'd be a slave, working for Klaus. At least here, with Damon, he treated her like she had some importance. Okay, so maybe she really was just a bloodbag to him. Maybe he didn't care for her. But he would never rape her, Elena was sure of it. Something about him told her that he was too much of a gentleman to do that to her. He could slap her and drain her, but he would never take away her body without her permission.

His heavy footsteps echoed outside the door, and soon she could feel his prescence close to her.

"I brought you this." Damon said quietly. "I thought you might be needing it."

Elena turned over. Her locket. She grabbed it quickly, not bothering to say thank you. He didn't deserve that. The locket was the least he could do.

She waited for the weight on the mattress to shift as he left, but it never happened. She looked over. Damon slowly lay down beside her, staring into her eyes.

"Get some sleep." He said softly. "You'll be needing it."

Elena whimpered, but eventually closed her eyes. She could hear his light breathing next to her. They weren't touching, but he was close enough that his body warmth gave her some comfort, in a twisted sort of way. She pulled the blankets tighter around her, and Damon watched guiltily as she continued to cry silently.

Why did he feel guilty about this? He really shouldn't. Elena was just a slave - and soon, she wouldn't even be his slave.

No, she'd be Klaus's slave. Klaus would take her body, use her until she passed out from exhaustion, and then start all over again. He would take her innocence - her virginity. Why did that feel so wrong?

Klaus would break her spirit. The next time he saw Elena - if she was even still alive by the time Klaus hosted one of his yearly winter balls - she would have no fire left.

"You're crying." He said quietly. "Elena, don't think I can't hear you."

She stifled her whimpers.

"I want you to take a few deep breaths, and close your eyes." He instructed, watching as she struggled to force her chest to breathe in a relaxed manor. Eventually, she let her eyes slip closed.

Damon watched as she slipped into slumber, her breathing evening out. He frowned as he saw the tears continuing to come. She must've been having a bad dream or something. He looked at the moon. How on earth had Elena managed to fall asleep up here for the past 5 days? There were cracks in the roof, and he watched her shiver. He pulled the blanket up over her neck, and she stopped shivering.

He didn't care about her, he couldn't. But being cruel to her on her last night with him, especially since he was sending her to Klaus, would've been too evil. The least he could do was make sure she didn't freeze.

Elena was beautiful when she slept. Her eyelashes were so long they appeared to cast shadows on her cheeks. Her chest rose and fell with each steady breath, and she looked so peaceful. But not for long. He sighed.

Selling her had to be the right choice. He wouldn't be distracted by her and her delicious blood and her beauty, or her kindness and fire anymore. And the money was pretty amazing.

But his supply of money was already endless. Elena, however, was just once girl. A special girl. A beautiful, special girl that couldn't be replaced.

_Damn it. _Why did it feel so wrong?

* * *

Elena's eyes fluttered open. Someone was shaking her lightly. Damon. He was still lying beside her, his blue eyes boring into hers as he awoke her. Had he spent the entire 4 hours since she'd gone to bed with her?

"It's 2 AM. Klaus is here. I can hear him walking through the field."

Elena began to shake, and Damon sighed. "Don't be scared. You'll get used to him soon enough. He won't hurt you while he's here, I promise."

Elena turned away from him, sobbing again. He shut his eyes tightly. "Elena, I told you that I was sorry. But you know that it's too late now. You need to get up." He tugged her arm gently, and she slowly rose, still crying.

"Klaus doesn't like tears." Damon told her, but Elena continued to cry. He sighed, leaning her down the steps and through the manor. Elena stopped in the middle of the hallway, and he turned to face her.

"Damon, I know you don't care for me, but I'm _begging _you..."

He ignored her words, trying to pretend they weren't setting him on edge. He was beginning to grow worried at thoughts of what Klaus would do to her. Could Elena take it? Would she survive the next month - hell, the next week?

There was a knock at the door, and Elena froze. Damon eyed her wearily. This was it. It might be the last time he'd ever see her.

He swung the door open. "Klaus." Damon greeted, his voice emotionless. Klaus grinned and stepped inside, and Elena took an automatic 5 steps back.

Klaus's eyes trailed over to her. "So this is the lovely Elena." He murmured. "I believe we only met briefly at the banquet, my dear."

Elena was silent, paralyzed with fear. Damon shifted uncomfortably. "The contract, then?" He asked.

Klaus pulled out a sheet of paper. "Just sign and the money will be yours. And Elena...will be mine." His voice was hungry, and Elena trembled, terrified.

Damon swallowed. "Is there anything you need to know about her before I sign?" He asked. Klaus raised his eyebrows.

"Age?" He asked.

Damon looked at Elena.

"Se-Se-sevent-seve-seven-sev-" Her voice shook uncontrollably, and Damon groaned inwardly. She wasn't making this easy to do. He was feeling guiltier by the second.

"She's seventeen." He answered. "Anything else?"

Klaus nodded. "I'd like to just examine her for a moment, if you wouldn't mind."

Damon looked at Elena. Her eyes were wide with fright, and he sighed. "Go ahead. You can use my office."

"Excellent." Klaus purred, beckoning for Elena to follow him as he walked into Damon's office. She shook in fear, looking to Damon for help. He nodded.

"Damon." She pleaded.

"Elena, now." Damon said quietly. She flinched and followed Klaus in, who shut the door behind them.

What was Klaus going to do? What did he mean examine her?

In a split second, Elena found herself pushed up against the desk, Klaus holding her tightly by the neck. "Make a sound, and I'll rip your head off." He hissed, and tears began to stream down Elena's cheeks.

She looked towards the locked door. Damon wasn't listening, she knew it. There would be no help.

Klaus chuckled cruelly. "Damon won't help you. You're mine now. Once he signs that paper, you'll belong to me." He tugged harshly on her hair, and Elena whimpered in terror.

"N-n-n-no-"

"Shut your mouth." Klaus hissed, and Elena began to sob once she realized what he planned on doing. Within seconds, her dress, sweater, and tights were gone, leaving her in her lingerie.

If she screamed, Klaus would kill her.

But death was better then what she knew he was planning. Klaus's hand reached for her underwear, and she made up her mind instantly.

"DAMON!" Elena screamed, begging god that he would pay attention.

There was no answer.

Klaus snarled, and she knew he'd stay true to his word. He would kill her.

Suddenly, the door burst open, and Damon walked in. He froze. Klaus had Elena pinned to the desk, his left hand wrapped tightly around the smooth column of her neck. She was in her lingerie, her clothes lying in shreds on the ground. But the worst part was what Klaus was doing.

His right hand was curled in the waistband of her white panties, slowly tugging the side of them off her hips.

"KLAUS!" Damon roared.

Klaus turned, his eyes widening. His hand slipped out of the waistband of her panties and Elena sighed in relief. "Damon. I was just exploring her-"

"Her what? You were going to rape her!" Damon hissed. "You agreed you wouldn't lay a finger on her while she remained in this house!"

"I changed my mind." Klaus said coolly, and Damon growled.

"As did I."

He stared at Elena. She was cowering into the desk, tears streaming down her face from her wide brown doe eyes. She stared into his eyes. If he let Klaus take her, this is what would happen the second she was brought into his house. Could he handle knowing that?

_Please, _she mouthed. And in an instant, Damon's mind was made up.

"As did I." He repeated. "As. Did. I." He glanced at Elena, and her eyes were wide with hope. "The deal's off. I didn't sign the contract, so you can keep your money."

Klaus's eyes widened in disgust. His hand slipped off of Elena's throat, and curled into a fist.

"And," Damon continued. "I want you to hand Elena back to me. Right now."

Klaus growled. "I want the girl." He hissed.

Damon shook his head. "Now, Klaus."

Klaus's fangs elongated, and suddenly, they were dangerously close to Elena's neck. She shrieked, and Damon shot her a look that silenced her.

"Don't lay a finger on her." Damon snarled, and Klaus's fangs slid back into his gums. He slapped Elena across the cheek, and she smashed into the desk.

"Hand her over!" Damon roared, but Klaus simply strode past him.

"A stupid mistake, my friend. Although I'm _glad _to say that our friendship is ending. Now." With that, he left the manor without another word.

Damon flashed over to Elena. "Are you alright?"

There were cuts on her cheek from Klaus's harsh blow to her face, and he stared at them angrily. She shook her head. "Damon, he was going t-to...r-r-ra-ra-"

"I know. He won't touch you now, I swear."

She nodded, wiping away her tears. "T-thank you...Damon." She'd been using his first name now for the past 4 hours, and it felt good. But now she'd have to stop. She knew he wanted her to call him 'Master' and curtsy or bow, and if it meant he would keep her away from Klaus, she'd do it.

Damon nodded at her, then glanced at the clock. "It's late. You should get some sleep - it's still the middle of the night. And...I think you need some clothes."

Elena realized with a shiver that she was still clad in her lingerie...in front of _Damon. _She gasped, and he looked away pointedly, wanting to give her a little bit of modesty after what she'd just gone through. Elena blushed, placing her arms over her chest and curling into a ball. He handed her a blanket and she took it gratefully.

"Elena?"

She was silent for a moment. "Yes?"

"Did Klaus...did he...did he touch you?"

"N-no. He was..." She took a deep breath. "He took off my clothes and then...his hand was suddenly in the waistband of my underwear and...and then you came..."

Damon let out a breath he didn't realize he'd been holding. Why did he feel so damn _relieved? _Why did he suddenly feel almost...jealous?

He gritted his teeth. "I don't want anyone else down there, Elena."

"W-what?"

"I don't want you losing your virginity to anyone." He said stiffly. The thought of it made him strangely sick. Why? And deep down, he knew. Because he was the one who should take it. But that was wrong - she was just a slave...

Elena gaped at him. If he expected her to _sleep _with _him, _he was obviously crazy. But it was probably best not to say anything. The man had just saved her from Klaus, after all, and she'd promised to be a good servant.

She reminded herself of the terror she'd felt in the moments before Klaus arrived, and how she'd begged Damon not to sell her, not to give her away. She had to be respectful now. So she kept her mouth shut.

"Don't go to the slave quarters." Damon instructed. "You'll be sleeping in my room tonight. I don't want you up in the slave quarters where there are plenty of ways in through the roof. Klaus might still be hanging around somewhere, and if he is, he'll try to take you in the night. You need to stay close to me."

Elena was shocked. She was going to sleep in Damon's bedroom? Certainly not with _him, _right? He'd leave the room, or sit in a chair...right?

"Go on." Damon said, waving his hand. Elena flushed.

"I don't know...where...it..."

Damon sighed. "Come on. I don't have anything else to do at this time of night." He walked with her through the manor, turning many corners until Elena recognized one of the hallways from the other night. He led her into his bedroom and gestured for her to sit on the bed. She bit her lip. Was she really allowed to? Or was this a joke?

"Go ahead." He encouraged, and she reluctantly sat down on the bed. The second she touched it, all her worries were gone and all she could think about was how soft it would be to sleep on. Which, according to Damon, she'd be doing tonight.

"Here." Damon passed her something, and Elena looked down. There was a dark blue camisole and flannel shorts. Pyjamas?

"Change into those." He instructed, striding into the bathroom.

"Damon?" Elena called. She was such an idiot, she shouldn't be asking him for anything else right now...but she had to. He turned, his eyes widening in surprise.

"I...do you have any extra...lingerie?" Her cheeks flamed red. "It's just that I don't want to sleep in something that...that Klaus has..."

Damon nodded. "I get it." He rummaged through a drawer and pulled out a simple set; light blue. She took them gratefully, too embaressed to meet his eyes.

He chuckled and dispapeared into the bathroom again. Elena slowly slipped the old lingerie off, discarding thein a corner. She pulled the new set on - much comfier - and dressed in the soft pyjamas.

When Damon re-emerged from the bathroom, she realized his chest was bare. He wore only black silk pyjama pants, and she swallowed hard at the sight of his muscles and biceps.

"Elena?" He asked. She was still sitting up in bed, looking nervous.

"I just...I feel like, if I lie down..." She couldn't explain it. When he'd gone to change, she'd lay down and closed her eyes. But it felt too weird, knowing that he'd slept on these very blankets, had laid where she lay, had curled his fingers around the same sheets. She felt like the second she gave in and let herself fall asleep, he'd awake her, rage clear in his eyes, and begin beating her.

"I understand, but you must believe me when I say that I won't hurt you." He assured her. "Now, am I going to have to compel you to go to sleep?" He smirked, and she smiled weakly.

Elena climbed under the sheets and lay her head on the pillow. God, this bed was the softest thing she'd ever felt! She couldn't believe he got to sleep in this, every single night...

Damon climbed into the bed next to her, and she froze. He raised an eyebrow. "I'm sleeping in the bed with you, Elena." He told her carefully, and her eyes widened.

"Oh." She stumbled over her words. "Okay." No, not okay! How was she supposed to sleep next to Damon? When he lay beside her in the slave quarters a couple hours ago...well, that was different! But this...they were in a warm, cosy bed, both dressed in pyjamas. He was half naked and she was wearing tight little pyjama shorts and a camisole! She knew that her bra straps were showing, and it just made her heart pound faster as she realized how much skin she was showing. Okay, she had to ignore him...

Damon lay down, placing his head on the pillow next to her and pulling the covers over them both - only his part stopped covering things at the waist. Perfect. Now his chest would be exposed to her for the entire night...

He reached over to turn off the light and the room plunged into darkness, silencing Elena's thoughts. She was being given the chance to sleep in a soft, warm bed, and she needed to use it well.

Her hip was pressing against his, and she shifted uncomfortably, rolling over onto the edge of the bed. His warm breath tickled the back of her neck and she shivered, scooting over even further.

"Relax." Damon purred. "Klaus is long gone. He won't touch you again."

Elena took a deep breath. "I'm not worried about Klaus." She whispered, although she couldn't help but imagine where she'd be if he'd taken her.

"What are you thinking about?" Damon murmured, honestly curious. He wanted to know how she was dealing with everything that had happened tonight.

"I...I was just thinking about the fact that if you'd let Klaus take me...I probably wouldn't be a virgin anymore right now." She whispered.

Damon frowned. "That's probably true." He agreed, nodding his head. She shuddered, and he placed a hand on her arm to calm her. Elena nearly jumped out her skin at the unexpected contact, and he leaned down to whisper in her ear.

"Just relax. You're so tense. I know you're still scared, Elena. Klaus will not hurt you, not anymore. Stop thinking about everything. Tonight, you're safe, and no one will touch you."

Elena took a deep breath and nodded. "Okay." She forced her tense muscles to do what he said - relax - and let her eyes close as she snuggled closer to the mattress. He chuckled, putting his hand on her arm again. Her muscles felt soft and loose now.

"Much better. Now get some sleep."

Elena coughed slightly, then allowed herself to rid her mind of thoughts and visions of evil vampires, punishments, torn clothes...all of it. It was time to say goodbye to that and just sleep - just one good night's rest, that was all she needed. Okay, that was a lie, she probably needed like a thousand, but this was what she was getting, and she had to use it wisely.

Damon wasn't touching her, but she could feel his body heat from across the bed, and it oddly comforted her to know he was close by. That made no sense, since Damon was the evil one...

NO! No more thoughts of vampires tonight! She allowed herself to finally drift off into dreams, hoping they'd be happy ones. But the one vampire that continued to cross her mind was the confusing one that lay next to her, watching her chest rise and fall with each breath as she slept.

* * *

**R****eview if you want to see the next chapter!**

**Okay, so Damon obviously didn't/couldn't bring himself to sell Elena...especially to Klaus. I'm proud of him ;) In the next few chapters...Damon's going to start to warm up a little to Elena in some ways. I know in the ending of this chapter he's pretty nice, but she's been through a lot and I think she deserved to have that from him for now. So as I was saying, there are some things he might start to be nicer about...like maybe he won't be so rough! Well, review to find out!**

**2 days till VD!**

**~DelenaRain**


	7. Day Seven, Day 28

**OHMYGAWD.**

**GUYS I DON'T KNOW WHAT TO DO.**

**"I love you Damon. I love you.**

**"It's the most real thing I've ever felt in my entire life."**

**"Being with Damon makes me happy."**

**"When I'm with him...it feels unpredictable. Like...like I'm free."**

**This is too much. #DELENAFEELS #DEAD**

* * *

Elena's eyes opened softly and she let out a quiet yawn, bringing her hand up to her mouth. She blinked her blurry eyes into focus, snuggling closer into the mattress of her bed.

Her eyebrows scrunched together in confusion. Why did the mattress feel so...soft?

Elena sprung up, letting out a gasp. The memories came rushing back: _He _was going to sell her to Klaus, who tried to rape her, and then _he _saved her, and then he...

Him. Damon. He was lying next to her, his arm on his chest and his head turned to face her. Well, he wasn't exactly next to her. Elena realized with a jolt of horror that they were practically curled into each other. Their sides were pressed together and his other arm was curled around her waist, holding her tightly to him.

She clapped a hand over her mouth to stifle her gasp. How had they turned out like this? Surely he hadn't been _awake_ when this had happened, right? Right?

Elena carefully uncurled his hand from her waist, laying it back down by his side. His chest was rising and falling lightly as he breathed. He looked fast asleep. But how much noise would it take for a vampire to wake up? She hoped a lot, but somehow she was sure that wasn't the case.

Elena slowly slipped out of the bed, wincing as the mattress creaked ever so slightly as she did so. Damon remained still and asleep, his lids closed and his mouth slightly open.

She tiptoed across the room, heading for the doorway. Oh, right. She was still dressed in her pyjamas. Elena sighed. It didn't really matter now, did it?

She turned the handle slowly, praying that the monster in the bed wouldn't wake up. He didn't. She let out a quiet breath of relief as managed to escape silently into the hall without any interruptions.

Now it was time to change things. Yesterday, as she'd pleaded for Damon not to sell her to Klaus, she'd said in a rush that she would be a better servant, that she would call him 'master' and curtsy and all that...

She gritted her teeth. If she wanted Damon to keep her, she was going to start doing that. And it would start today. Sighing, as she realized what she would have to start doing, Elena made her way towards the kitchens.

* * *

Damon's eyes opened slowly. He turned his head to the side, his blue orbs widening. She was gone. Elena was gone. Had Klaus taken her during the night? Had she escaped somehow, or run away? Was she just in the bathroom?

He listened for a moment. There were no signs that Elena was anywhere near this room. He growled. Goddamn it. He should've just left her in the slave quarters as usual. He ruled his slaves using fear - that's why they didn't usually attempt to run away. But after the stunt he'd pulled last night, letting her sleep in his bed...maybe she thought he was getting soft and had a chance of escaping.

His thought train was broken as the door swung open, revealing a pyjama clad Elena. His eyes traveled over her figure appreciatevely for a moment before he focused on what she was holding - no, rolling.

She had pulled a tray filled with food and drinks into the room. Was that his _breakfast? _

There were light purple circles under Elena's eyes, and he could tell she was still exhausted and fighting to stay awake. She wore a blank expression, and her eyes settled on him after a moment.

"Good morning, Master. I brought you your breakfast."

Damon's eyes widened in shock. Master. She'd called him _Master. _What the hell was wrong with Elena? Her voice seemed small and afraid, and he watched in awe as she curtsied - or tried to in her tiny pyjama shorts.

Elena wheeled the tray over to Damon's bedside, gritting her teeth. This was humiliating - having to call him master and doing that stupid curtsy, even though she was wearing pyjama shorts. The least he could do was say thank you - but of course he wouldn't, would he? She realized with a jolt that he was still shirtless - a fact that she hadn't noticed when she'd been lying in his bed half an hour ago.

"Breakfast in bed?" Damon finally said, amazed. She nodded.

"Yes, master." Elena bit her lip at the word, trying to cover her disgust.

His blue eyes widened again. Why was Elena acting like this? Suddenly, a train of realization hit him like a ton of bricks. Elena was _scared. _She was scared that he would sell her to Klaus, or someone even worse.

_"NO! You c-can't! P-please D-Damon! I promise I'll d-do better! I-I'll curtsy, and s-serve you breakfast in bed, a-and wash every floor and window in the house, and I won't s-scream when you drink from me..."_

Her words from yesterday echoed through his mind. Curtsy. Serve you breakfast in bed. Hmm...

But this wasn't exactly what he wanted. The reason he'd kept Elena - other than the fact that he couldn't bear to see or know Klaus would do that to her - was that he wanted her to keep her fire. It amused him, fascinated him. She wasn't afraid to stand up for herself, even when she was terrified. And it now seemed that fire was gone. Although it couldn't really be - she was just hiding it.

But how well could she hide it?

_"...I won't s-scream when you drink from me..." _The words replayed over and over in his mind. Interesting.

"Elena. Come here." He said carefully, and she swallowed the lump in her throat, leaving the tray at the bottom of the bed and walking up to his bedside.

Elena's heart was pounding. What was he going to do? No, that was a stupid question. Because deep down she already knew. Yes, she knew very well what he was planning.

"Lean down." He murmured, and she bended backwards, collapsing against the bed. Her neck was fully in sight, and he trailed a finger down the long lines.

He pulled her head up to his face, and she flinched as her hair was tugged on harshly. Within seconds, she could see his fangs glinting in the early morning light, and she tore her eyes away.

His sharp canines slid into her neck with ease - he was still using the small holes in her neck from the first time he'd bitten her. She flinched. She couldn't scream, that's what she'd said yesterday...

But god it hurt. Elena knew he was doing this on purpose though. He wanted to see if she would hold to her words...or if she would scream instead. And right now...god, right now she felt like screaming and demanding he take his stupid teeth out of her neck.

But that wouldn't get her any points. She reminded herself of the fear she'd felt only 12 hours earlier, in the moments where Damon had forced her out of bed and down the stairs to meet her doom - Klaus. Remembering how powerless and terrified she'd felt reminded her that she had to be a good slave, so that wouldn't happen again.

Elena gritted her teeth and closed her eyes tightly, holding back screams of pain as her life essence flowed into him. He swallowed hungrily and she clenched her jaw, disgusted.

After another minute of pain Damon pulled away, and Elena stood up emotionlessly, placing a hand to her neck. The blood flowed freely from it, and Damon watched the streams of red quickly cover her hand.

He placed a hankerchief in her hand and she held it to her bleeding neck, turning her face away. Elena wheeled the cart up to his bedside again and left it there.

"Enjoy your breakfast, master." She said quietly and he raised an eyebrow. She turned back to the door.

"Elena." He called, and she looked back, reigning in her anger. What more could he possibly want?

Damon once again ran her words from yesterday through his mind.

_"...a-and wash every floor and window in the house..."_

"I want you," He began, casually leaning back into the pillows. "To wash every floor and window in this house. Tell the other servants they can have the day off."

Elena's face was contorted in disbelief. "E-every window?"

"And every floor." Damon smirked, tapping his fingers on his bedside table impatiently. "Go on."

She swallowed heavily, curtysing again and opening the door to step out. "Yes master."

"And Elena? You might want to find some new...clothes." His gaze settled on her chest - the tight camisole didn't help anything _-_ and Elena flushed, quickly stepping out and shutting the door behind her.

That had been completely embaressing. She'd throughly humiliated herself by doing this. But then again, where would she be now if he'd let Klaus take her? And if he changed his mind...

* * *

When he was finished the large tray of food, Damon dressed and made his way downstairs, leaving the plates on his bed. He'd make sure Elena knew to clear them away and wash the sheets.

He raised an eyebrow. The floor on the landing had been freshly washed and polished. It looked like Elena was following his instructions. Now _that _was a first.

A strange sound echoed through his ears, and he frowned. Was that...a _sniffle_?

The sounds were coming from the first door along the corridor to his right. He strode forwards and quietly turned the handle, peeking inside. Elena was sitting on the floor, curled into a ball and crying. The bucket and sponge sat beside her, and it looked as if only half the floor had been washed.

She hadn't noticed him - not yet. But why was she crying?

He looked closer, and realized that her hands and knees were bleeding. He sighed.

This was an exact repeat of the other day. Him watching her work - only this time, she was bleeding terribly from kneeling on the cold floor for so long and scrubbing with her already sore hands.

"You should get those treated to." He said, frowning. Elena's heart nearly jumped out of her chest at the unexpected intrusion and she gasped.

Damon rolled his eyes. Humans. They couldn't hear anything, could they?

"At the end of the corridor you'll find a small room. There are medical supplies there. Patch yourself up and then get back to work." He instructed her. She nodded.

"T-thank you...master." Elena tried her best to make the last word _not _sound like an insult, but it was tricky when she was so disgusted and mortified by it.

Damon's brows furrowed. Thank you? It was time to teach Elena a lesson.

He grasped her wrists and pulled her to his chest, and she gasped.

"Listen. Nothing has changed between you and I, _nothing. _I may not call you slave anymore and I may have spared you from Klaus, but our relationship has not changed in the slightest. You are a slave. You are meaningless to me. I am your master - you will obey me and do as I say. Once again, Elena. You are meaningless."

His words were threatening, but Elena took no notice. She couldn't.

_Meaningless. You are meaningless to me._

Fresh tears brimmed in her eyes and she restrained herself from curling up and crying into his chest, begging that he take that back. It wasn't as if she liked Damon or had any respect for him, but he was still a person of some kind. Hearing him say that she was meaningless...it hurt. Terribly.

"I saved you from Klaus out of boredom." Damon continued. "Boredom, Elena. No, I didn't want to see you get hurt - that was _true._ Because the only one who gets to hurt and touch you is _me. _Believe it or not, good servants are hard to come by, and you have the potential to be a good one. That is the reason why I kept you, and why I stopped Klaus from raping you. You are not his to touch - you are my property."

Elena made a choking sound, and he set his face into an emotionless mask. "Understood?"

"Y-yes master." She whispered. He smirked, releasing her wrists and pushing her back.

"Wash my bedsheets. I don't want to sleep on something that a filthy slave has slept on." He hissed, shooting her a grin before he started for the door.

And then Elena lost it. Her hands curled into fists, and she clenched her jaw and gritted her teeth. _That was it. _

"What do you mean, _a filthy slave_?" She shouted, and Damon turned around in surprise.

"What the hell is wrong with you? One moment you try to kill me and the next you're sleeping in the same bed as me! A couple days ago you tried to strangle me - and then you bit me yesterday, out in the snow! Right after I almost drowned! Then you let me into your study and allow me to shower and dress in warm clothes, and then 10 minutes later you tell me you're selling me to a monster! Next, you suddenly decide to spend the hours before Klaus comes, in my bed comforting me, and then when I beg you not to do it, you brush it off like I'm a piece of dirt! And then _suddenly, _you're back to saving me from Klaus and feeling sorry for me! So you let me sleep in your bed! Do you know where I woke up this morning? Do you? I woke up with your arm wrapped around me - I was practically sleeping on top of you! And now, you're telling me that I'm a _filthy slave, _that I'm _meaningless_? What are you, a 12 year old with moodswings?"

Elena finally finished ranting, and took a deep breath. There. She'd gotten it out.

And he was going to kill her, she just knew it.

But the dark haired vampire standing in front of her was silent, his face blank and eyes wide with disbelief at her outburst. After a moment, he quickly covered it up, and stared into her eyes for a moment, before turning back to the door.

Just before he walked out, Damon looked back, staring deeply into her eyes.

"I saved you from Klaus because I couldn't watch you get hurt. Seeing _that _taken from you. I didn't want to see you go through that."

And then he was gone.

* * *

**January 20th**

21 days. It had been a full, long, boring to death, quiet, 21 days. Elena hadn't talked to him since December 30th - yes, it was exactly twenty one days ago. That had been the day that he'd said the words she'd been thinking about for the past 3 weeks and 3 days.

_"I saved you from Klaus because I couldn't watch seeing get hurt. Seeing _that_ taken from you. I didn't want to see you go through that."_

She couldn't stop replaying the 3 small sentences in her head.

_"I saved you from Klaus because I couldn't watch you get hurt." _

Okay. But why? Wasn't that what Damon enjoyed, hurting people? Hurting her? Didn't he get some sort of twisted pleasure out of watching others in pain - especially when it was due to him? So why couldn't he watch her, of all people, be raped?

_"Seeing _that _taken from you." _

So he didn't want her to lose her virginity. She remembered his words from even earlier before that, when he'd told her that he didn't want anyone else down there with her. Something in her stomach twisted everytime she thought about why he might not want that. Did he actually...did he want...?

_"I didn't want to see you go through that?"_

Go through what? Being raped for her first time? Losing her virginity to a monster? Because all of those would surely have affected her - if Damon had kept her, yet she'd still been raped...she didn't know where she would be. She'd probably have no fight left. So was that it? Did he want her to keep her fight?

Because she definitely still had it. With the time that had passed, Elena had decided that she didn't to keep the act up. She wasn't going to curtsy or call him master. Not if he was going to ignore her.

He wouldn't talk to her. Yes, she had seen him, but he wouldn't talk to her. On New Year's Eve, he'd passed her in the hallway. She'd shot him a tiny, unsure smile, trying to get him to respond. She needed to do anything to get him to talk to her about what he'd said.

Anyways...well, he hadn't responded. He'd glanced the other way. When she'd knocked on his bedroom door, he hadn't done anything either. There'd been no response - only silence. But she knew he was in there - she'd watched him walk in and lock the door behind her.

It was almost worse than him _not _ignoring her. Now, Elena had no one to talk to. Alex, the only nice slave, well, she was always busy with her many duties, and so was Elena.

And now that Damon didn't keep tabs on her, she was all alone. The first few days after he'd instructed her to wash every window and floor in the house, had been horrible.

She'd cried over her bleeding hands and knees, hoping he would hear and take pity on her, maybe even feed her some blood or wipe away her tears or let her sleep in his bed. Elena missed it, in a sick sort of way.

But he hadn't come, even if he had heard her crying those days. And he probably had with his super hearing. No, he hadn't showed up to pick her up and carry her to his quarters, or take her to his study and let her shower, or be there to wipe away her tears with a hankerchief.

And she still wasn't getting anything from him.

Damon hadn't been up to check on her once, or wake her up, or even take away the locket again. In fact, he hadn't taken away the book, blanket or pillow. Elena had been working hard on the book - she was almost done it.

If she still lived in the orphanage, she would be finished reading it by now. But getting only 4-5 hours of sleep every night was exhausting, and she couldn't stay awake at night for very long these days.

Elena sighed. She'd thought about all that while washing the kitchen sink. God, she was getting so caught up in that man...

She wiped her hands on a towel and let her hair down, checking her reflection in the silver cabinet above the stove. She'd already decided what she was going to do next.

Talk to Damon. She was going to talk to Damon.

* * *

Damon was lounging on his couch, sorting through his mail.

There was an invitation to the annual Vampire Ball on May 23rd. He scoffed at this. Today was January 20th. That was 4 months away. Jesus, did vampires these days really care so much about these things?

He briefly wondered who he would take as his date this year. Going on his own last year had been a terrible idea - he'd practically been laughed out of the ballroom.

Maybe he should take one of his old friends, like Katherine or Caroline. No, they probably didn't even remember him - it had been years since he'd talked to either of them.

Damon placed the invitation deep within a drawer in his desk and lay back down on the couch, folding his arms behind his head and staring up at the high ceiling.

Now it was time for the hardest part of the day. Allowing his mind some peace by letting himself think of her. Of Elena.

How he had managed to keep away from her and her delicious blood, looks, body, and personality for an entire 3 weeks was a miracle. Damon almost felt proud of himself.

But last night...last night, the strangest thing had happened to him. For the first time in around 145 years, Damon had had a _nightmare._

Visions of Elena and Klaus had plagued his dreams. Elena had been pressed against the desk, Klaus harshly tearing off her clothes. And he hadn't been able to stop it.

He could still hear her screams of agony and her pleas for Damon to help that his mind had conjured up. He'd awoken in the middle of the night, sweating and thrashing around.

Nothing like that had ever happened to him as a vampire.

And why had he felt so relieved when he realized it was just a dream? Why had images of Elena being raped effected him so much? But god, if anything like that ever happened to her...

Okay. Why was he thinking like this? It just made no sense.

A soft knock at the door interrupted his thoughts, and Damon froze. _Shit. _He hadn't locked the door.

The wooden door slowly swung open, and the floorboards creaked. He could hear her steady breathing, her fast hearbeat, and smell her delicious blood pumping through her veins.

"Damon?"

And there it was. Her voice. The voice that he'd so desperately wanted to hear for the past 3 weeks. Ha. So she was done with her whole 'master' and curtsying thing now.

"Look. I'm not going to curtsy or call you master or anything like that." There was a note of irritation to her voice, and he almost smiled.

"I just came to talk to you. About...you know what." She sounded tired, and he finally allowed himself to look up at her. God, she looked tired. So the slaves' schedule of 4 hours of sleep a night was really affecting her, then. He glanced over her. She was wearing the black slave dress again, and her feet were encased in winter boots that didn't go above her ankles. He wondered where she'd found them.

He raised an eyebrow, and she flushed. "I-they were in a spare bedroom. The boots, I mean."

He nodded. "I don't care. Do they keep your feet warm?"

Elena's heart was pounding. He was talking to her! "Uh, I, yes. Yes they do."

Damon nodded - again. "Good." He said quietly. Elena swallowed, waiting for him to continue. He didn't, and she realized it was probably time to ask the question.

"When you said what you said...about not wanting to see me hurt...what did you...why..." Elena trailed off, unsure exactly what or how she was going to ask.

Damon sighed. "Listen, Elena. I told you that I don't want to see you get hurt. I don't. I don't know why, alright? It's complicated. But something inside me tells me to keep you out of harm's way."

Elena's eyes were wide for a moment. Out of harm's way? He wanted to protect her...yet he would drink her blood whenever he wanted? Or at least he used to, over three weeks ago...God, this man was confusing. But it didn't look like she was going to get anything else out of him.

"Was there something else you wanted to ask me?" Damon said carefully.

Yes, there was. The thought had been nagging at Elena for weeks. But it was probably best not to push her luck - he would surely say no, wouldn't he?

"I...it's nothing."

"Tell me." Damon insisted, and she bit her lip.

"I was wondering...would you be...could you...may I have a pair of skates?"

There was a silence. Elena looked at Damon and Damon looked at Elena. She took a deep breath. This was awkward. She knew now without a doubt that he would say no.

"You...you want to go skating out on the lake?" Damon asked, surprised.

She nodded, crossing her fingers together.

"Elena, I don't think so. You almost drowned out there a few weeks ago."

Elena's heart dropped. "But-"

"My answer is no. You may not have skates." His voice was hard and firm.

Elena's face flushed, and she spun around, heading for the door. This was beyond humiliating. Why had she had to open her stupid mouth and ask him in the first place? She'd known what his answer would be.

Tears brimmed in her eyes as she opened the door and ran out. Why was she _crying _over this? It was just a pair of skates! But then again, she'd thought she was finally going to have some fun...

"Elena-"

She didn't stay to hear the rest of his sentence. It didn't matter.

Damon stared at the spot where she'd stood only moments earlier, his heart and mind torn in half. One part of him was screaming that she was his slave, that she deserved nothing. The other part was telling him to run after her and promise her whatever she wanted, just to see her smile again. And that part of him made no sense, so he chose to ignore it.

Still...

He groaned, his decision made. Damon picked up the phone and dialed a number at once. The person on the other end picked up immediately, and he began to speak.

**(A/N: Yeah, they have phones. It's kinda like the Hunger Games setting: there are the poor people, and then there are the rich people who have technology and dress in modern clothing. Yet in this world they still kinda do old fashioned things, like host banquets and balls...)**

After hiring a few workers, he set the phone down and rung the bell by his desk. A slave rushed in immediately.

"Slave. I need you to do something for me. You know Elena?"

The slave frowned. Damon rolled his eyes.

"Elena. She sleeps at the very end of the slave quarters, by the window. You know, right under the broken part of the roof. Very beautiful, long brown hair, doe eyes, skinny, tiny waist..."

The slave nodded after a moment and he sighed. "I need you to make sure Elena does not go outside. No exceptions. She can't be let out of the slave quarters."

"Alright..." The slave turned for the door.

"Oh, and slave? Tell the other servants to get all of our building supplies out of the shed. That means hammers, nails, etc..."

The slave frowned. "May I ask what we're building, Master?"

Damon smirked. "A skating rink. We're building a skating rink out in the field."

* * *

**Review if you want to see the next chapter!**

**Okay, so Damon's starting to care for Elena. But after he let her sleep in his bed I thought it would make no sense if he suddenly went all warm and nice and caring, ya know? The romance is drawn out.**

**And that's one thing I like about Delena: they're drawn out. So in this story, it could take a while for them to have their first kiss.**

**QUESTION about that: Depending on the length of the chapters, and what Chapter this is (7) when should Damon and Elena have their first kiss? I mean you all know it's going to happen, I'm just not sure when yet. I want it to be a magical sort of setting. I also don't want it to be too fast, like he tells her he's built her a skating rink so she kisses him. I want the kiss to be something they're both trying to avoid and yet they get wrapped up in a moment and it happens. When should that moment be? What would you guys like the setting to be?**

**AND OH GOD. THE 'I LOVE YOU DAMON.' IN 4X10. I CAN'T EVEN. WHAT. NO. IT'S TOO MUCH. **

**I'M DONE. LIKE I'M ACTUALLY DEAD GUYS.**

**~DelenaRain**


	8. Day 28, Day 32

**OHMYGAWD.**

**GUYS I DON'T KNOW WHAT TO DO.**

**"I love you Damon. I love you.**

**"It's the most real thing I've ever felt in my entire life."**

**"Being with Damon makes me happy."**

**"When I'm with him...it feels unpredictable. Like...like I'm free."**

**This is too much. #DELENAFEELS #DEAD**

* * *

**January 20th (still the same day)**

Elena huffed angrily as she hauled the basket of washing across the room to be washed. She set the bucket down beside the sink and continued her earlier duty - scrubbing a dark red stain out of a grey shirt. The stupid thing looked like it was the one that Damon had worn when he'd bitten her a couple weeks ago.

Was he honestly so lazy that he couldn't have put it in the wash like, 3 weeks ago? Elena shook her head in disgust and continued to scrub.

As she did, she stared out the window into the snow, watching as more and more snowflakes landed on the ground. Throughout the entire 3 weeks, she hadn't been outside in the snow once. It wasn't allowed.

And now Damon refused to give her skates. She was absolutely enraged - although she'd known his answer would be a definite no the minute she'd asked.

Suddenly, a pale hand reached out and shut the blinds on the window, hiding the beautiful view of the field from Elena's eyes.

"What in hell?" Elena growled, spinning around. She already knew exactly who the hand belonged to.

Damon's eyes were dark. He reached out and she stepped back instinctively, but in no time he had his hand wrapped tightly around her wrist in a bruising grip.

He began to drag her out of the room and Elena's eyes lit up with anger.

"What are you doing? Let go of me!" She protested. His other arm wrapped around the same wrist, and soon it felt as if he was breaking her entire wrist.

Elena cried out in pain, and his gaze immediately softened - as did his hold. He let his left arm drop off and then continued to hold her with his right, leading her up the stairs. When they reached the top of the stairs, that led to the slave quarters, Elena yanked herself out of his grip.

"Why did you bring me here?" She asked angrily. He rolled his eyes and pushed her inside.

"You are to stay in here for the next few days until I come and get you. Understood?"

Elena gaped at him and he merely smirked, his arms folded over his chest in a challenging way. She stared furiously into his eyes, trying to get some other sort of words out of him. He was silent.

"What do you mean, stay in here? You can't do that! You ca-can-can't-" Elena's voice began to shake as his blue eyes froze over. Her life was bad enough. Now she couldn't go outside? Why was Damon being so cruel? God, she was so, so, stupid...she never should've asked him about the skates...

"Look, I'm sorry I asked you to get me skates, I was just asking...but you can't lock me in here! I can't just stay in here for days!"

Damon shook his head and chuckled softly. "I can, and you will."

"How can you be so cruel?" Elena shouted. "You pretend to care about me and then you lock me in my room? Going outside is the only...the only good-"

He let out a sharp growl, interrupting her mid-sentence. She instinctevely took a few steps backward, until her back hit the iron bed frame.

"Let's not forget that I allowed you to sleep in my bed. I saved you from a future that would've ruined you in hours. I _protected _you, Elena." Damon hissed. She was silent, and he continued. "I am also your master. How many times am I going to have to remind you of this? You. Belong. To me."

Elena's heart thudded in her chest and angry tears welled up in her eyes, dotting her vision. She turned away, enraged, and stared out the window into the snow, trying to calm her mind and body. Slapping him, yelling, protesting...that wouldn't score her any points, would it?

"Am I clear?"

She could suddenly feel Damon standing right behind her, his cool breath tickling her neck. The feeling immediately caused her anger to die down and fade, and she nodded quickly. "Y-yes."

He smirked, his arm brushing her back as he walked towards the door. She shivered at the fiery contact and watched as he strode out the door, then paused and turned back. Damon gave her one last evil grin before he slammed the door, and the lock clicked shut, trapping her in the room.

Elena shook her head, sitting down on the bed. Her life just got worse and worse. And the bad thing was that she had no idea what she'd done to deserve this - was it the skates? Had she messed up one of her duties? It had to have been the stupid skates...damn it...

She sighed and lay back, dangling her left arm down and reaching for Call of the Wild from under her bed. She was still surprised that Damon had let her keep it this long. This was the first time he'd been up in her slave quarters for weeks, and she'd been sure he would take it.

But he hadn't. So she made herself as comfortable as possible, adjusting her single pillow and pulling the blanket up to her chest, then began to read where she left off.

* * *

Damon thumped down the stairs, feeling incredibly weary. Putting on the act and making Elena go all sad and miserable like that hadn't felt good for some reason. It hadn't been fun or amusing - and it usually was.

He'd seen, of course, the tears that had welled up in her eyes as she'd heard that she would be forced to stay in her room until he said she was allowed to leave. It had hurt. But why?

He shrugged the thought outside and headed for his study. Luckily, the slave quarters were around the back of the house - Elena wouldn't be able to see the rink he was building from the windows in the dirty quarters. Which was good, because it would have ruined the surprise.

Damon sat down at his desk and stared at the plans for the rink he'd sketched out in the past few hours. Suddenly, he couldn't wait to see Elena's face. She'd be joyful; happy and amazed. Surprised - definitely. Maybe she'd even be proud.

He bit his lip. Not like it mattered.

* * *

**January 24th (4 days later)**

Elena groaned in disappointment as she closed Call of the Wild, pressing it to her chest and hugging it tightly. Done. Finished. Over. She'd read the entire thing - and had just finished the final chapter around 30 seconds ago.

She turned her head to gaze out the window into the rapidly falling snow, relishing in the beauty of it.

These past 4 days had been the most boring of her life. Damon hadn't appeared once - a few slaves had brought up her meals, and that was it. She'd spent the hours reading, resting; she'd showered a number of times and had played with her hair in the cracked bathroom mirror, styling it in different ways.

The only good thing that had come out of the past 4 days was the notebook. Maria, one of the other slaves, had caught her awake at 2AM one morning, staring out the window. When Maria had seen her sad, she'd given her a notebook, saying that Damon had given it to her one year as a present for serving him for 10 years.

Elena's eyes had widened as she'd listened to Maria. 10 years? She swallowed. How long was Damon going to keep her exactly? Because Maria looked to be about 30...so she'd been working for Damon since she was 20 years old?

Maria had handed her the little notebook and had said she never used it - Elena couldn't imagine why. She eagerly took it and Maria went back to sleep. That night, Elena had used a pen she'd stolen out of a study during early January - when Damon wasn't talking to her - and had started to write.

Elena had always wanted to be a writer, ever since she was young. A journalist. An editor. A writer.

And so she'd begun to use the little notebook for 2 reasons - she used half of it as a diary and the other half to write stories.

Painting was also one of her passions - but there'd been no room for that.

Snapping out of her thoughts and memories, Elena reached for the notebook and flipped through the few pages she'd used. She'd only gotten it 3 days ago, and she was trying to go slowly. In a month or so, the paper would run out, and she would be left alone with her sorrow again. Damon would never give her a notebook, she knew it.

The door swung open and Elena jumped in fright, immediately recognizing the blue eyes and raven black hair. Damn it. He hadn't been up here for days...and he just had to pick the one moment she was holding the notebook.

She quickly stuffed it under her pillow, but she knew it was too late. Her stupid dark haired vampire master strode over and tugged her off the bed, pulling the pillow off and picking up the notebook.

"Where did you get this?" Damon asked, and Elena was surprised to not hear any anger in his tone. He seemed...uninterested?

"I-Maria gave it to me." She stuttered. After a moment, he nodded, tucking the notebook into the pocket of his leather jacket.

"What are you doing?" Elena cried. "Y-you can't take that! It's m-my diary!" She reached for the notebook, and he stepped back, keeping it out of her reach.

"B-but I have personal stuff and writing pieces in there!" She pleaded. He cocked his head, studying her. Damon's gorgeous blue eyes burned into hers with the type of fire she had within her own. Their eyes were like two sides of the same coin. Finally, he let out a sigh, pulling the notebook out from under his jacket and handing it back to her.

She quickly grabbed it, stuffing it back under the pillow as he watched with an amused expression.

"You write?" Damon asked after a moment of awkward silence. She swallowed.

"I used to want to become a writer." Elena blurted, her stomach twisting nervously. Why on earth was he acting so...interested? 30 seconds ago, he hadn't seemed to care..hadn't she just determined he was uninterested? But now...

He raised an eyebrow. "_Used_ to?"

She blushed. "I still do...but I can't see that happen...happeni..." She trailed off, unsure of what to say. No, she definitely couldn't see that happening anymore. Her future was utterly destroyed. Briefly, she wondered who Damon would enventually sell her to. Maybe someone worse. But then she thought about Maria, and how she'd been here 10 years, and reconsidered. Maybe Damon would keep her. Right now, she didn't know if that was a good or bad thing.

"Maybe it still will." Damon said softly, and Elena stared at him with a blank expression, utterly confused.

"Do you enjoy anything else?" He asked, and she bit her lip. _Yes. Being free. _Her mind said at once, and she pushed the thoughts away. Yes, there were many other things she loved to do.

"I...I love to paint." She whispered, and Damon looked surprised. Her cheeks reddened again and he caught her eyes, holding them.

"Hmm." He said after a moment, and then the room fell silent. She twisted her thumbs together, fiddling with them nervously. Why was he even here?

"I came to tell you to come with me. You are now allowed to leave." Damon said, answering her unspoken question. Allowed to leave? It was about time! But...go with him? Where?

Damon extended his hand and she eyed it warily, staying frozen and still. He sighed and reached for her, his palm pressing into hers as he led her out of the door.

The stairs creaked as they made their way down them, and Elena soon recognized the familiar route to Damon's bedroom. Why was he taking her there?

He pushed his bedroom door open and pulled her inside gently. She felt nervous and uncomfortable - why was he being so nice? So gentle and soft? Like he _cared_?

He gestured towards the bed. "Get dressed and meet me in the bathroom in five minutes." He instructed, disappearing into his bathroom and closing the door softly.

Elena gazed at the bed. Damon had laid out an outfit for her. The clothes looked brand new and clean - had he bought these for her? And why did he want her to get dressed?

She sighed. There was no point asking herself these questions.

Elena slipped off her clothes, eyeing the bathroom door wearily. What if he chose this moment to walk out of the bathroom? Hurriedly, she covered up her nude body and pulled on the lacy red lingerie he'd picked out for her - exactly her size.

Next, she dressed in the little crimson dress he'd picked out. So...he must like red, she thought. He'd also laid out some black tights, and she quickly pulled them on.

Elena slowly opened the bathroom door and tiptoed in. Damon was leaning against the counter with his arms crossed, no doubt waiting for her. He smiled when she walked in.

"Do whatever you want." He told her, before leaving. Elena scanned the bathroom counter. He had put out everything a girl could possibly want on the large marble counter. She reached for the straightener instantly, immediately planning out her look in her head.

After straightening out her hair, spraying on some hairspray, and applying a bit of makeup, Elena washed her hands one last time and dried them with a towel. She checked her reflection in the mirror again and almost smiled.

Okay, she had to admit it. She looked beautiful, and she knew it.

Making her way out of the bathroom, Elena's heart nearly stopped when she saw Damon leaning against his bedpost, his dark smile in place as usual. He'd changed from his black shirt he'd had rolled up at the sleeves into a black button down - only the top buttons were undone, exposing the top of his chest. His raven hair was ruffled, as if he'd just gotten out of bed, and his eyes were a bright, shining blue. Elena swallowed.

His eyes ran over her. "You look stunning." He purred, and her heart skipped a beat and her breathing hitched in her throat. _St__unning_. He'd called her _stunning._

"Thanks." She whispered, and he beckoned her over. On the bed there now lay a pair of mittens, a scarf and hat, and a dark red coat. Damon picked up the coat, and motioned for her to come closer. She slipped her arms in and buttoned it up, then tied the sash at her waist. Next she put on the scarf, wrapping it around her neck softly, and then the hat. She reached for the mittens and pushed them on her hands.

Damon smiled, and she watched as he shrugged into his leather jacket again. "Follow me." He told her, and Elena frowned. So they were going...outside? But she didn't have shoes.

She didn't say anything, though, just watched as he led her down the hallways and towards the entrance to the manor. They reached the large entrance area, and he stopped her.

"I have something for you." Damon said with a smile, and Elena's heart pounded as he took out something from within his jacket.

Skates.

They were white, and shimmered in the dim light. The silver blade glittered, and Elena could see that they had obviously been made by a very talented person.

"I don't understand." She breathed. "You're...you're allowing me to go skating? But I thought you said-"

Damon's grin silenced her, and she watched in awe as he motioned for her to sit down in a comfy chair by the door. She slowly sat down, and he knelt down in front of her, still holding the skates. He took her right foot in his hand and she shuddered - but not in fear.

Once Damon had put her skates on and laced them up tightly, she watched as he pulled his own on, then opened the door. He walked easily out through the snow, but Elena stumbled on her first step, and in a split second, he was beside her, closing the door behind them and extending his arm.

He helped her waddle out through the snow as she clutched at his arm, trying not to fall. His arm wrapped around her waist, supporting her, and she closed her eyes briefly at the close contact.

"Where are we going?" Elena asked curiously. Damon smiled secretively, and she realized she wasn't going to get an answer out of him.

They made their way around the side of the field, past a few large mounds of snow, and stopped as they rounded the last corner.

Elena froze.

A skating rink was right there. In the field. The ice was perfect; clearly untouched and undamaged, as if no one had ever been there. There were benches off to the side, and large wooden posts in the corners. Twinkling lights were wrapped around each of the posts and stretched in a large square around the rink.

Elena gasped. It was like...a fairytale. The twinkling lights made the ice appear to glow mysteriously, and snow had begun to fall again in soft flakes.

She turned to the smirking vampire beside her, unable to register what was going on.

"I...what..."

"I had it built for you." Damon informed her, still grinning. She was shocked, and he knew it.

Elena _was _shocked. This seemed unreal. No, it _was_ unreal. It had to be a dream. Damon would never have anything like this done for her in a million years. Never. Ever. Never ever ever.

But he had. And this was real. This was truly happening.

Damon watched as Elena let out a squeal of excitement. He watched in awe as the most adorable little smile spread across her face, lighting up her eyes and curving her pretty lips upwards. Soon, he found himself smiling too. It was impossible not to when you saw her doing it herself.

"Can I..." She whispered, her eyes trained on the ice.

"Of course."

She grinned and started for the rink, her eyes twinkling and matching the fairy lights.

The second her skates touched the ice, she let out a squeal of delight and glided into the center of the rink. Elena spun around and laughed, extending her arms outwards. She hadn't felt a sense of carefree happiness like this in months. And she definitely hadn't felt so _free_ in far too long.

Damon watched her, his eyes wide. She was absolutely gorgeous.

Elena Gilbert, his slave, was positively stunning. No, she was more than that. He stared at her in awe as she spun around laughing, in her little red dress and coat, the belt showing off her tiny waist. The contrast between her silky olive flesh and the white snow was quite incredible. Her dark chestnut hair fell in perfectly straight lines down her back, blowing in the wind. Her wide brown doe eyes shone with excitement, and he found his jaw dropping open. She was inhumanly beautiful.

After a moment, Damon snapped out of his funk, and started towards her. He slid onto the ice after her and skated over to the center to stop beside her.

Elena froze, turning to look at him with wide eyes.

"You skate?" She asked unsurely. He smirked and nodded, and she blushed.

"O-oh. I just thought...nevermind. Um, I wanted to say...thank you. For all of this. I have no idea why you did it, but I absolutely love it. So thank you." She said carefully, watching his expression.

"I thought you would like it." He responded.

"I do!" Elena said quickly. "It's amazing." She glanced up at the twinkling fairy lights and let another beautiful smile grace her face. Then she turned and began to skate again. Damon caught up to her easily, matching her movements. She watched him out of the corner of her eye, seeing how his movements copied hers.

She stopped after a moment, and he came to rest beside her.

"I have to ask you something." She blurted. He raised an eyebrow.

"Why are you being so nice to me? All this..." She gestured to the rink, and he sighed.

"I don't know, Elena. I just thought you needed some happiness and laughter in your life. You've been through a lot in the past few weeks. Don't think I haven't noticed." Damon looked down guiltily. The times that he'd hit the beautiful girl standing in front of him flashed through his head. He remembered how she'd gotten bruises on her cheeks and jaw from the harsh impacts as her head collided with the wall in one of his rages, and he swallowed.

None of this was right. Elena was his slave. Damon was her master. It didn't make sense that he'd care for her in the slightest.

Unfortunately, Elena seemed to read his mind.

"I knew it." She hissed. "I don't mean anything, do I? I'm still a worthless piece of dirt, just like when you remind me of that. I'm meaningless. My existence doesn't matter to you, and according to your words, not to anyone else. I'm a filthy, disgusting, _slave. _I was wrong to think that you could actually...actually..."

"Actually what?" Damon whispered.

She glanced at the ground. "Nothing. Nevermind." Elena looked away, refusing to meet his eyes.

"Elena, don't think like that." Damon said quietly. "You are not meaningless, you never have been and you and I both know that very well. Yes, you are my slave. Yes, you live in filthy slave quarters. Yes, you spend the hours of the day kneeling on the floor or cleaning food off of plates. But that does not make you a worthless piece of dirt."

Elena looked up, her eyes shining with unshed tears.

"Am I clear?" He said sternly. She nodded unsurely, and he sighed.

"Good. Now wipe away those tears. I think you're tired. It's late. You can come back tomorrow. I will allow you to have one hour per day - the time of your choosing - to come out here and skate or be in the snow. I think you know very well not to escape."

She bit her lip, and he suppressed one of his usual smirks. "Alright, let's get you inside. You still look exhausted, even after 4 days wth time for sleeping."

Damon led her inside, and she sighed at the warmth. Still, she already missed the rink...but she now had every day to do that.

He helped her take off her skates and she swallowed at the feel of his soft hands on her petite feet and ankles as he pulled them off, his skin caressing hers. After a moment, he took his own skates off too, and they left them by the door.

"Come on." Damon beckoned for her to join him in a room she'd never been in before. Elena looked around. There was a large table, and many chairs around it. No one was seated, however. There were also candles and beautiful lights lighting up the room.

"This is the dining room." Damon explained. "You don't think I eat my dinner in the kitchens with the slaves, now do you?"

"No." She said, trying to keep the bitter edge out of her voice. He rolled his eyes and pulled out a chair for her. Elena sunk into it, the cushions soft on her sore back. She let out a moan.

Damon gave her a confused look, and she blushed. "Sorry. It's just...my back is really sore, and my bed isn't exactly the most comfortable thing in the world. This chair's 100 times better."

He looked away. Maybe he should get her a more comfortable bed...? No, that was getting a little ridiculous.

"I'll be right back." He said quickly, and disappeared from the room at once. Elena leaned back in the chair, staring around her. Every night, Damon got to eat in here. He probably had servants serve him everything and never had to move once. While he did that, she would be sitting on a cold aliminum stool in the kitchens, eating her plate of grey slush - which turned out to be sort of disgusting protein food to 'keep the slaves strong' - and surrounded by dirty food and cooks.

It was the same with the bed. When she finally got into the slave quarters at 1 AM, he could've been asleep for hours. Then he would spend the night in his soft, fluffy bed with warm blankets and pillows in his heated room. He could get up and use the washroom at any time - and it would actually be clean. He could take a shower without waiting in line. He could do anything.

She, on the other hand, would lie, curled up on her uncomfortable little 'bed', with a flimsy blanket and pillow around her. She'd either cry herself to sleep, think about Damon's words from a few weeks ago, or think about his warm body pressed against hers the night they'd slept in his bed together.

Somehow, she couldn't get that memory out of her head. The way his warm chest had pressed-

"Here." Damon emerged in the room again, carrying two cups of steaming hot coco. He handed her hers and she took it gratefully, murmuring a quick 'thanks' and sipping immediately.

She hadn't tasted anything this amazing in way too long.

"Today, you've been here for exactly a month." Damon mused, and Elena's eyebrows shot upwards. He nodded.

"You got here on December 24th, Elena, and today is January 24th. It's been a month." He stared at her, and she shifted uncomfortably. What was she supposed to say?

"Things have really changed." She said quietly.

He cocked his head. "How so?"

She stared into his deep blue eyes, watching as his coal black lashes fluttered for a few seconds. She bit her lip, then took a deep breath.

"Why...why don't you hit me anymore?" She whispered.

Damon studied her. He didn't say a word - he couldn't. Because he had no answer to that. He set his cup down on the dining room table and helped her up from her chair, then placed his hand on the small of her back.

"Let's get you to bed." He suggested, and silenced her protests with a warning look. He almost felt guilty as she stiffened at his look and stared at the floor. "Keep the coco." He said quickly, trying to cheer her up. She said nothing.

They made their way up the stairs, coming to a stop outside the rickety wooden door at the very top. Elena stepped in, walking over to her bed and setting the cup of hot coco down on the small wooden stool she'd set up beside it.

He watched as she removed her notebook and book from under her pillow and placed them on the stool aswell, the climbed into bed.

Elena felt ashamed. She knew Damon was standing in the doorway watching her, and that made it harder. He would see was an utter mess her life was - she was sleeping on a dirty old mattress on an iron frame.

"Goodnight Elena." Damon said quietly, and they he closed the door.

* * *

It was midnight when the first scream sounded. Damon was lying in his bed, staring at the ceiling as thoughts of Elena swam through his complicated mind.

He sat up instantly, his vampire hearing instantly catching the horrible, terrified scream. He would recognize it anywhere. _Elena._

Within 20 seconds, he had bolted out of bed, thrown open the door, flashed down the hallway and raced up the stairs. He slammed the door open and froze.

Elena was laying in her bed, all alone. It was still midnight - the other slaves hadn't gotten in yet. She was twisting and turning, sweat plastering strands of hair to her stick forehead. She was muttering and shrieking in her sleep, her body convulsing under the thin blanket.

Damon flashed over and knelt down beside her bed. He pinned her down, stopping her from thrashing around. He shook her quickly. "Elena!" He said urgently. She let out a shriek. "Elena!"

"ELENA!" Her eyes shot open and she let out one more bloodcurdling scream before she froze, then began to sob, wrapping her arms around herself.

"D-Damon?" Her tear streaked face was pale.

"I'm right here, Elena. You were having a nightmare."

"K-K-Klaus." Her voice shook terribly. "He was going to t-take...he was...going...he was going to t-take m-my..."

Damon shook his head. "He'll never take that away from you. I swear to you, Elena. I will make sure Klaus never takes that away from you."

She nodded, her tears continuing silently. He sighed and pulled her close to him.

"Come on." He said gently. "Get some sleep."

She lay back down, and he stared at her for a minute. Then, his decision was made up. He lay down next to her and pulled the covers over them both, before wrapping an arm around her waist and pulling her against his chest.

"I'll stay with you." He murmured, stroking her face softly. "I won't leave. I'll be right here."

Elena nodded. She knew that this was absolutely and completely inapropriate. This was the man who had hit her, beat her, drank from her, tossed her around like a rag doll...and yet she couldn't bring herself to make him leave. So she merely nodded over and over again, before burying her face against the side of his body.

Damon allowed her to have the pillow, laying his own head on his left arm. He watched her breathing even out, and then closed his own eyes.

And maybe, just maybe, Elena scooted a little closer to him.

* * *

**R****eview if you want to see the next chapter!**

**Okay, so Damon clearly has some sort of emotions towards her. I think we can all tell he cares about Elena, even if it's just a bit and he would never say it aloud - YET. **

**4x11 was a big letdown for me. I was totally unconvinced. I thought that after that 4x10 ending the writing for the DE reunion was terrible. I mean, that was absolutely huge for Damon...where were the kisses? The hugs? The mutual I love yous?**

**What did you guys think of 4x11? BTW, I think DE will have their first kiss in Chapter 9 (next one)**

**~DelenaRain**


	9. Day 33, Day 38, Day 40

**Hello my fellow Delena shippers ;)**

**Can I just start off by saying that I'm really sorry it's taken so long to update? Like, I'm really, really sorry. I don't even have an excuse, just that the updates will start being fast once again - but keep those reveiws coming!**

**Enjoy the chapter ;)**

* * *

**January 25th (next day)**

Elena opened her eyes groggily. Dull winter sunlight was streaming in from the crack in the roof, but surprisingly, she didn't feel the slightest bit cold. She rubbed her eyes, looking up.

Elena let out a cry of shock. The other slaves were all standing over her, circled around the foot of her bed. They were staring at her with shocked looks on their faces, and she shook her head, confused. She recognized one slave - Alex.

"Alex?" She asked.

Alex was staring at her with her mouth wide open. Elena frowned. Why did she feel so warm? Why was her bed suddenly so soft? And why-

_Oh god._

Elena gasped. Damon was lying next to her, his arm wrapped around her waist and holding her to his chest tightly. The night's events rushed back to her. Skating, drinking hot coco, having a nightmare...and then he'd gotten into bed with her, promising that he wouldn't leave.

And it looked like her gasp had woken him up. He sat up at once, his blue eyes wide and alert. They narrowed into tiny slits the second he spotted the other slaves.

"Shouldn't you all be working?" He growled, and they scurried off - but not before shooting Elena weird glances. She groaned. Of course - they would have no idea why Damon Salvatore, who was a monster to them, was sleeping in the same bed as her.

Damon looked over at her.

"You should be getting to work as well." He muttered, and she nodded hurriedly, jumping up. Damon pushed himself off the bed and she straightened out the covers, avoiding his eyes.

"Elena, look at me." He tilted her face up, and stunning blue eyes met sweet brown.

He swallowed. "Um, the nightmare that you had last night...are you alright?"

"I am now." Elena whispered, biting her lip. No, last night she hadn't been alright. But feeling Damon's arms around her felt impossibly good, and at his soft touch, she'd calmed down instantly.

He nodded. "Uh, good." There was an awkward silence, and Elena shifted uncomfortably, picking at her nails.

"Well, I should be going." Damon announced. "Things to do." He shot her one last smirk, and disappeared out the door. Elena stared after him, her body itching. Part of her wanted to follow him and ask what the hell had happened last night - why on earth had he stayed with her? - and the other half told her that it was a very, very bad idea. Maybe she should just leave it alone.

She sighed and picked up her empty cup from last night's hot coco, heading for the kitchens.

* * *

**January 30th (5 days later)**

Elena sighed happily as she finished up on the ice rink, sitting down on one of the wooden benches that sat underneath the twinkling fairy lights. She slipped off her skates and pulled on a pair of snowboots she'd found lying around in the slave quarters, standing up and tying her skates together.

She opened the door of the manor and shook out her snow covered boots on the carpet outside, then stepped inside. Warm air surrounded her and she walked down the corridor, heading for her quarters.

Damon had told her she could take an hour or so off each day to use the skating rink he'd worked so hard on for her, and so she'd seized the opportunity. It had been snowing lightly, so she figured it was a perfect time to skate.

She hadn't seen Damon much for the past 5 days. He was doing that thing again where he seemed to be avoiding her - only this time he _had _talked to her a few times.

Elena had been in the kitchens the other day, when he'd walked in to collect his lunch. He'd spotted her shivering in her slave dress, and informed her that the hot coco was in a cupboard in the back of the room.

Which was where she was heading now - or trying to.

"Elena. How many times must I remind you that you must take off your snowboots before walking inside?" A voice drawled, and she looked up in surprise.

Damon was leaning against the wall by the kitchen door, looking amused. She bit her lip and quickly slid her snowboots and red jacket off, slinging it over her shoulder.

"I- I'm just gonna go put these away in my quarters." She mumbled, passing him as she headed for the stairs. He caught her arm.

"You can do that later. Just put them down on the floor for a minute. I want to talk to you." His voice was calm; it held no darkness or anger.

Elena swallowed, unsure of what he wanted from her, and set the boots down outside the kitchen door. Damon watched her, and then pushed himself off the wall. He walked into the kitchen, beckoning for her to join him. She quickly followed, leaving the red coat next to the boots as well.

The moment she walked in she realized there would have been no need to make the coco - he already had two steaming cups set out on the counter.

"Thanks." She whispered, picking hers up.

Damon watched her carefully. He wanted to talk to her about the skating rink. About what had happened last night. About how she'd felt about it.

But really...did he have the courage to do that?

He pushed the thoughts away. He'd talk to her about it later - he really would. But at the moment, he just couldn't do it.

"Elena, how are you?"

Her brows furrowed. "What?"

He rolled his eyes. "I just wanted to know how you're doing. Do you like the skating rink? Are you enjoying it?"

"Oh." Elena stared at him. Yes, she absolutely loved it. Sure, she'd gone skating with her family before before they died, but she had never, ever had a skating rink all to herself. Especially one that had been built by a _vampire._

"I love it. I've been really enjoying it." She confessed, meeting his eyes again. He looked surprised - did he actually think she wouldn't have liked it? "I guess I should thank you again - thank you."

He nodded. "Are your hands okay?"

"What?"

Damon sighed, stepping closer to her. He sat down on one of the metal stools, watching her closely. "Your hands. The last time I saw you scrubbing the floors, they were bleeding. Does that still happen?"

She swallowed. "Um. No. They've...toughened up."

"Toughened up?"

"Y-yes." Elena couldn't help but feel that they were talking more about _herself _than her hands. _Do they still bleed? No, they've toughened up. _It sounded just like her predicament with being a slave. She used to cry herself to sleep every night - that didn't happen anymore. She used to believe this was the end of the world - it didn't seem like that now. She'd toughened up.

"May I ask you something?" Damon said quietly. He looked almost...ashamed. What was he going to ask her?

"S-sure."

"Are you still afraid of me?"

_Are you still afraid of me? _How was she supposed to answer that? With the truth? That would probably be her best bet, wouldn't it?

"No."

Damon couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief. He didn't scare her. Not anymore. He felt relieved - it would have made him feel terribly guilty if she was still afraid of him.

"May I ask _you _something?"

He looked up at her, surprised she'd spoken again. Elena was watching him intensely, her doe eyes wide. He nodded, waiting for her question.

"You never answered me the other night. Why don't you hit me anymore?"

Damon's breathing caught in his throat, and he swallowed, forcing himself to relax. There was no simple answer to this question. Actually...there was. But he couldn't say it.

He stiffened. "No matter."

"Actually, it does matter." Elena spoke up, setting the cup of hot coco down on the counter and stepping closer to Damon. Her warm brown eyes met his icy blue ones, and she gazed into their depths.

"That's not really your choice to make." Damon said coldly. She shook her head.

"Are you incapable of answering a single question?" She asked darkly.

Damon's blue eyes narrowed into tiny slits. "Do NOT use that tone of voice with me, Elena. Just because I don't hurt you anymore doesn't mean I can't. I could easily tear your pretty little throat out without blinking. Don't you dare speak to me like that ever again."

"What are you gonna do, _hit _me?" Elena said angrily.

"May I remind you that I just built you a skating rink-"

"And may I remind _you _that it's just a simple question!" She defended, crossing her arms over her chest and glaring at him.

"Enough!" He hissed. "Do you know what I could do to you, Elena? Do you know what would have happened if it was Klaus in this kitchen instead of me? He would have torn you limb from limb, compelled you to pull out your own eyes, drained you dry..."

"Well it's not Klaus in this kitchen with me." She muttered, and then rolled her eyes.

And then Damon lost it. Seeing her roll her eyes so tauntingly at him, as if _she _was the one in control...

He grabbed her arm roughly. "I SAID, DO NOT SPEAK TO ME LIKE THAT!" He roared. Elena's eyes widened. "You have absolutely no place to be questioning me like that! You would do well to watch your tongue. Believe it or not, you are still my slave, Elena. And I don't ever want you to act like that again towards me!"

"But-"

"THAT'S ENOUGH!" Damon shouted, slamming his fist down on the counter. Elena trembled. He pulled her out of the kitchen and she tripped over the skates outside the door, falling to the ground. She watched in horror as he continued to pull her across the carpet and quickly climbed to her feet before she could be dragged up the stairs too.

Damon forced her up in front of him and held her to his chest, keeping her trapped as he walked them upstairs and to the slave quarters. He pushed her into her room.

"Don't leave this room until I say. If you do, I will make sure you never see that skating rink again." He hissed icily, and then slammed the door.

Elena's eyes widened in disbelief and she pounded her fists against the door. "LET ME OUT! DAMON! LET ME OUT!" She screamed, outraged as she kicked at the door desperately.

But Damon didn't answer. Instead, she listened furiously as his footsteps faded away until they were eventually gone. She burrowed her face in her hands. She was NOT going to let herself make it her fault - it had just been a simple question! But deep down, she knew it was because Damon was scared of the answer.

* * *

**February 1st (2 days later)**

Elena curled up on her side, muffling her groan in her pillow. Her stomach had never hurt so much in her life, and her throat had never burned for water this badly.

She hadn't eaten or drunk anything for the past 2 days. How long was it again that humans could survive without water?

Even during the days when he'd been building the skate rink and had locked her in here, Damon had still had her fed. But now it was like he was pretending she didn't exist. No plate had been pushed under the door. None of the other slaves had dared to sneak in anything for her. No one had been sent up to bring her food.

But if she risked going outside this room...he would take the rink away. Forever. And then her life here would probably just go back to the way it was before.

But damn it, she was hungry. Maybe Damon had just been being impulsive. Surely he wouldn't truly take the rink away from her, would he?

Her eyes flickered towards the door over and over again. Just one drink. One tiny plate of food from the kitchen. He wouldn't hear her, would he? It was just one cup and one plate.

Just one.

Walking towards the door, Elena slowly turned the handle and peeked out. She tiptoed down the many flights of stairs, her feet finally coming into contact with the soft carpeting of the main floor.

There were no signs of angry dark-haired blue-eyed vampires around. The kitchen was just a corridor away. Carefully walking down the corridor, Elena slipped into the kitchen.

It appeared to be about 7 o'clock - the other slaves' dinners were lying on the counter, still untouched. If she could just grab one plate before they arrived...surely no one would notice...

She picked up one of the plates and cups and turned quickly for the door. Suddenly, her wrist collided with something and the glass and plate slipped from her hands, hitting the ground and shattering - effectively soaking the front of her dress.

She looked up, knowing perfectly well what the wall of muscle she'd knocked into was.

"Oh!" She gasped, realising she'd been right in her predictions. Damon's eyebrows were raised, and she bit her lip.

"I-I'm sorry!" She blurted. "B-but you were...I needed to..."

Damon shot her a pitying glance. "Actually, Elena, I was about to have a slave send that up to you." He pointed at something behind her, and Elena turned to see a small meal sitting on a little table in the corner of the kitchen.

Her eyes burned with tears. If she'd just waited five more minutes, none of this would have happened...

"I'm sorry." She whispered. "I-I didn't know."

Damon sighed. "I'm not going to take the skating rink away, if that's what you're worried about."

She raised her head to look him in the eyes, but he wasn't finished. "However, you will not allowed to go skating on it for two weeks."

Elena fought back the tears. "But-"

"Elena-"

"Damon, I didn't know! I'm really, really sorry!" She pleaded. "I wouldn't have done it if-"

"But that's the thing, Elena." He interrupted. "You did do it. I'm not doing this to upset you, but I am doing this to punish you. You need to learn that you have no choice in these things. I understand that I have told you that you are not just property. And that is true, you are much more than that. But you must understand this, Elena. You were given to me as a present - someone paid money for you. Meaning that in the minds of others, you _are _just property. Now I don't expect you to think like that - but you must start listening to me. I am your Master, Elena. I do own you, meaning that I will make your decisions about life for you. If I want something, you must do that for me."

He paused for a moment before continuing. "By being punished you will learn not to do it again. Do you understand?"

"Yes." Elena whispered.

"Yes what?"

"Yes Master."

Damon groaned. "No, Elena, not _Yes Master. _I wanted you to say _Yes, I understand. _I don't know why you think you still have to call me Master."

"But you just said-"

He silenced her with a look.

"Yes, I understand." She said, giving in. He nodded.

"Alright, so no skating for two weeks. You may go skating after that. Remember, Elena. I'm not doing this to hurt you. But you need to be punished so that you understand the boundaries of being a slave."

"I understand." Elena whispered, desperately trying not to cry. _Two weeks. _Every year, on Valentine's Day, she, her parents, and Jeremy had gone skating. It was a family tradition she had vowed never to break. Last year had been her first year in the orphanage - but she and her best friend Bonnie Bennett had managed to sneak out to the local rink.

This year, Elena had been sure she wouldn't be able to uphold that tradition. But then Damon had built the rink for her, and she'd been sure she'd get lucky. But that was gone now. February 14th - that was less than two weeks later. She would just miss it. She would be allowed to skate again on February 15th - two weeks from now. But it wouldn't be the same.

"Elena?"

Elena realized with a jolt that a tear had escaped her left eye. "I-I'm fine."

Damon looked concerned. "Tell me what's wrong, Elena."

"It doesn't matter." She said quickly, brushing the tear away. Damon sighed.

"Elena, we just went over this. You _must _listen to me."

She stared at her feet. "Fine. Every year my family and I would go skating on Valentine's Day. Last year was the first year that they were...gone...and I still did it. But this year..."

"You won't be able to since I've said two weeks." Damon said, realization setting in. She nodded. He groaned inwardly.

"Listen, Elena. I'm sorry, but I can't let you do that. Two weeks is my final answer." He said. If he ever wanted Elena to obey him, this was what had to be done.

"I know." She whispered.

There was a moment of silence, and Elena fidgeted quietly. She could feel his eyes on her, watching her every move. Was he angry? Did he pity her? Was he just _amused _at the fact that she thought she'd be able to go skating, because of what February 14th meant to her? Probably.

Damon watched her try to conceal her tears. His eyes softened, and he reached out to touch her arm.

"Elena, how long have your parents been dead? How long exactly were you in the orphanage?"

She was silent for a while before answering. "On May 23rd it'll be 2 years. A few days after May 23rd I was transported to the orphanage. My best friend Bonnie was too."

Damon'd mind briefly registered the fact that May 23rd was also the day of the Vampire Ball this year. He remembered seeing the invitation on his desk. He pushed the thoughts away. "Bonnie?"

"Yes. Her parents had died some years earlier, and since our families had known each other since we were born, my parents took her in to live with us. She wasn't in the accident - so she and I were both transported to the orphanage together."

Damon's eyes were full of pity. "I'm sorry." He said quietly. "About your parents, I mean."

"Thank you." She whispered. "I just...I should probably get back upstairs."

"Elena, wait. You don't have to stay in there anymore. Sit down and eat. I'm not going to starve you." He told her, picking up her plate of grey slush and cup of water from the little table in the corner.

"But..." She gestured to the mess she'd made on the floor, and he shook it off, shrugging.

"I'll get one of the other slaves to clean it up. Come on."

"No, I'll do it." Elena said quickly. She wasn't going to make anyone else clean this up - it had been her fault, no anyone else's. Damon watched with wide eyes as she knelt down and dried the floor with a dishtowel and then brushed away all the food and broken glass. After a few minutes, she cleaned her hands off and turned back to face him.

A small smile crept onto his face. He'd never met anyone quite like Elena. She was so _kind _it was just unbelievable. He'd told her she didn't have to do that, and yet she still had.

She followed him out of the kitchen and they walked into the dining room. Elena immediately sat down in one of the large, comfy chairs, sighing happily as the soft cushions soothed her aching back.

Damon set the food and drink down in front of her, eyeing her with concern.

"I could look at your back for you, if it's hurting so badly." He suggested, and her cheeks flamed.

"I-I'm fine." She mumbled. He shrugged. "O-kay."

Elena picked up her fork and winced as she began to eat the disgusting grey slush that he called food. Damon's eyes softened and he began to feel guilty as he watched her eat the disgusting lunch.

He took the fork from her hands. "Why don't I get you something a little more...tasty." He suggested, and her eyes lightened at once.

"Really?"

"Sure." He disappeared from the room - along with the grey slush - and she gulped down a bunch of water to rid her mouth of the terrible taste. He reappeared moments later, and placed another plate of food in front of her.

There was a sandwich, carrots, and mashed potatoes. Elena hungrily began to eat, and he watched her with an amused look in his aqua eyes.

"Someone's hungry." He chuckled, and she let a tiny smile escape. Damon couldn't help but smile back at her.

"I really am." She admitted, and he rolled his eyes.

"Elena, don't you know it's rude to talk when there's food in your mouth?" He teased, and she blushed. After a few more minutes of a peaceful silence, Elena sighed in content as she finished the plate of food. She drank the rest of the water, and relaxed into her chair.

Damon touched her arm. "Elena? You look like you're going to fall asleep any moment. We should probably get you to bed." He told her, and she nodded.

He eyed her dress. "But first...I think you need some fresh clothes. You soaked your dress when you dropped that glass of water." He held out his hand, and she cautiously took it. He led her up the stairs, walking them through the many corridors until they reached his room.

Damon pushed the mahogany door open and walked over to his dresser, pulling out some pyjamas. "Here. Go get changed." He told her, handing the things to her.

"I'll be on the balcony. It's starting to snow again." He disappeared out the balcony doors, and Elena walked into the bathroom. She pulled on the new pyjamas, insepcting herself in the mirror. She looked well fed and happy - two things that she wasn't really, or at least an hour ago she hadn't been. Was she happy, though? She wasn't sad anymore. Damon could be so cruel sometimes - and then he'd go and do things like this evening, giving her proper food and new clothes.

She walked out of the bathroom, heading for the balcony. Elena quietly swung the glass door open, stepped outside, and closed it after her.

Damon was leaning against the balcony railing, his arms folded over one another. There were small, white snowflakes stuck in his dark raven hair, making him seem overly adorable. His blue eyes watched her as she slid into place next to him. He was the picture of innocence - something he was clearly the opposite of.

"I've always loved snow." Damon murmured, and Elena nodded in agreement. A question tugged at the corner of her mind, and she took a deep breath.

"I was wondering...how were you turned?"

He turned to face her, his eyes wide with surprise. She swallowed nervously. "I - please don't be angry, Damon. I was just...just curi-"

"Elena, it's fine." He assured her, watching her for a moment. "I was turned 145 years ago."

Her eyes widened in disbelief. 145 years? He'd been around that long? Truly?

He nodded, answering her unspoken question. "145 years, yes. I was turned by a vampire named Katherine Pierce. As a human, I fell in love with her. She made me believe that what she felt for me was real as well - but none of it was. After I turned, I realized that she never loved me. I'd become a vampire for nothing."

"Then why didn't you-"

"Kill myself? My brother."

Elena's eyebrows shot upwards. "You have a brother?"

"Yes. Stefan - he's my younger brother. Katherine did the same thing to him - and I couldn't leave him all alone. But..." Damon stiffened. "We don't exactly get along very well. I haven't seen him in 15 years."

Elena bit her lip. "I'm sorry about what Katherine did to you."

He shrugged. "I'm still in contact with her, though. I guess I could consider her a friend, in some ways. But I shouldn't have let myself fall for her. I was young and naive."

"You were in love." Elena protested. "You can't help who you fall in love with. I know how it feels to be played by someone who you think loves you - it sucks. And like I said, you can't help who you fall in love with."

Damon took a step closer to her. "No, you can't." He murmured. They were close enough now that their noses were inches from touching.

Elena stared into his blue eyes, her heart pounding in her chest. No, she wasn't about to do this. She couldn't. It was wrong, it was so, so wrong. He was evil. She was a toy to him. He was evil. He was evil. He was - god damn it, his lips were inches away...

"Once you fall in love with someone, I don't know if you can ever shake them." Damon breathed, his cool breath tickling her neck. She shivered in pleasure.

She let out a breath she'd been holding.

His lips crept closer, and closer, and closer...and then their lips were touching. Elena gasped at the touch. For a moment, they just stayed there, reveling in the feeling.

Elena had never felt lips as soft as Damon's. They were silky, like a velvet ribbon. The scent of him was overpowering her senses, and she felt drunk on it. She stepped closer to him, and ever so slowly, Damon's hand came up to wrap around her waist.

He pulled her in closer, and she placed her hands on his chest. Her palms slowly slid up over his muscles and wrapped around his neck, pulling him impossibly near.

Damon's hand went up to touch her cheek, the other still on her waist. She moved her fingers into his dark raven locks, threading them through the jet black hair.

She let out a quiet moan against his lips, and he responded by eagerly slipping his tongue into her mouth. She allowed him to do just that, sighing softly as their tongues battled for dominance.

Soon, Elena was gasping for breath, and she pulled away, her hands still wrapped around his neck. His eyes were wide, and they slowly seperated.

"It's late." Damon whispered. She nodded in agreement.

They walked back inside, and Elena stepped out of Damon's room. She turned back, only to find him watching her, his eyes still wide with shock.

"Goodnight, Damon." She said breathlessly, allowing a small smile to creep onto her face as she left the room.

* * *

**Review if you want to see the next chapter!**

**Okay, so Damon clearly has some sort of emotions towards her. I think it's safe to say the romance is beginning. But I really don't want it to go too fast. And once again, sorry for the wait. I promise that the next chapter will be up a lot sooner.**

**What were your guys' thoughts on 4x13? I thought it was pretty good. Delena did fight, yes, but she basically admitted that:**

**-she wants the D**

**-she wants Delena babies**

**-she wants to be the mother of Damon's children**

**-she wants to marry Damon**

**-she wants Damon forever**

**-she wants the D for the rest of her life**

**I honestly can't see SE getting back together - ever. It wouldn't be the same after all of this. In only 6 episodes, we've seen how much stronger DE's love is. What were your thoughts on 4x13? I'm really, really curious.**

**~DelenaRain **


	10. Day 41

**Hey Guys ;) Sorry I didn't update yesterday...I was away so I typed it on my Ipad but it was taking way too long and I wanted to make it better; so once I got home (today) I updated ;)**

**Thank you for all the amazing reviews...you guys rock! Sooo much :D**

**Enjoy the chapter ;)**

* * *

**February 2nd (next morning)**

Elena rubbed her tired eyes, looking around as she sipped at her hot coco. This morning, she'd gotten up at 5:30 - the usual time - to begin her normal morning duties. She'd washed the living room windows, cleaned the floors of the 2nd level rooms, wiped off the kitchen tables, patched up a hole in her dress, and had then in come here - the dining room - to drink her hot coco.

Damon had already brought her in here twice - surely he wouldn't get mad if she drank some hot coco in here.

Not after what had happened last night.

The entire morning, Elena hadn't been able to focus on the chores she'd been doing. Her thoughts had drifted again and again to the kiss.

She could still feel his cool, silky lips pressed against hers as he wound his arm around her waist and brought her closer to his chest.

And then there was the guilt. Kissing Damon was wrong. He'd hurt her, beaten her, taken her blood against his will, tried to sell her to a monster, suffocated her, held her throat in his hands as she choked on those pills, forced her to walk 4 hours being dragged by a wagon...

And who knows what he'd done to the other slaves.

But there were other things he'd done - better things. He'd given her her family locket back, allowed her to keep Call Of The Wild, given her a blanket and pillow, allowed her to sleep in his bed, presented her with new clothes, given her proper food, and then the _skating rink. _

She couldn't just ignore those things, could she?

Kissing Damon had been wrong - but it had _felt _so right. And wasn't that what her parents had raised her to believe? To listen to the things you felt with your heart and not what you thought with your head?

Maybe she should do just that.

* * *

Damon knew she was in the dining room. He could hear her steady heartbeat; could smell her warm blood as it coursed through her veins.

He remembered how just last night, that heartbeat had been pressed against his chest.

Okay, so kissing Elena had been wrong. Everything he'd done the past few weeks had been wrong - the skating rink, the book, saving her from Klaus...

But what had also been wrong was the things he'd done to her just a month and a half ago. Hitting her, taking her blood forcefully, almost selling her to the man that would have stolen everything she cherished...

Elena Gilbert, this little human girl, this slave, was sitting a wall away from him. She was probably thinking about the kiss too - and she was probably utterly confused.

"I see someone's made herself at home in a room that isn't hers." He drawled, entering the dining room. Her feet were crossed on top of each other and propped up on the table, and she was leaning back in the chair with her eyes closed.

Her brown orbs flew open at the sound of his voice, and she quickly brought her feet down.

"Oh!" She gasped. "I-I'm sorry, I thought it would be okay if I just drank my-"

"Elena, it's fine." He reassured her. She relaxed back into the chair, and he took a seat next to her.

"Listen, Elena, I know it's probably the last thing you want to do right now, but we should talk about what happened last night." He said quietly.

She bit her lip. "I'm not...ready to talk about that yet." Would he be mad? Sometimes Elena had to remind herself that they were supposed to have a master/slave relationship. Damon made that very clear sometimes, and others, he made it all too confusing.

Damon leaned forwards. "I understand." He said softly. She smiled gratefully.

"What I did come to ask you, though, is if you would like to go into town with me."

Elena gaped at him. "What?"

Damon sighed. "About 30 minutes from here there's a town. You don't think I never leave the house, do you?"

She shrugged. "I don't really know what sort of stuff you do, Damon."

He shot her a warning glance to remind her of the tone she was using, and she looked down, mumbling a 'sorry'.

He stared at her. "Wouldn't you have passed the town on your way in here?"

Elena shook her head. "I was tied up in a cart the entire time."

Damon looked at his feet, suddenly feeling guilty. He didn't know what had happened to Elena in the days between her transition from the orphanage to him. He made a note to ask her later.

He cleared his throat. "Anyway, I'm going into town today. I need a sla- um, helper to bring with me." He carefully avoided the word 'slave', knowing Elena wouldn't appreciate him using that.

Elena's eyes shone. "Really?"

He nodded and gave her a gentle smile. She nodded as well, and he stood up.

"Well, we should get going." Damon offered her his hand, and she took it happily. She couldn't believe she was going to get to leave the manor! She hadn't been out of the manor grounds in a month and a half, and although she had to admit she'd grown fond of the beautiful house, she missed being outside in the real world.

Her red coat was hanging on the wall beside the closet, and she reached up on her tiptoes to grab it. Damon shifted uncomfortably behind her as he watched. She looked so happy...how exactly was he going to break the news to her?

"I'll be right back." He murmured, disappearing down the hallway. Using his vampire speed, he rushed into his study and grudgingly pulled out one of his desk drawers.

She wasn't going to like this, not at all. He grabbed the things he needed from the drawer slowly and stuffed them into a black bag, slinging it over his shoulder as he slid the drawer shut and walked out.

Elena had just slipped her snowboots on when Damon reappeared next to her, holding a black bag. She frowned. "It's nothing." He said quickly, extending an arm to her, and pushing the bag onto his back. She let the matter go and took his arm, following him out the front door and into the light snow.

He led her out to the carriage that was awaiting them and she flinched, realizing the last time she'd been in something like a carriage she'd been pulled along by it for 4 hours - only that had been a wagon, right

Damon looked away guiltily, averting his eyes and avoiding her gaze. He didn't want to think about the day that he'd had her pulled along through the mud by a wagon.

He opened the door for her and she climbed in, immediately going to sit by the window. Instead of sitting away from her he sat down right beside her. He motioned for the driver to start and Elena watched with wide eyes as they were pulled out of the manor grounds.

"I wanted to ask you...when you were being transported from the orphanage to me, what exactly happened to you?"

Elena turned her head away from the window to look at him. "I'd rather not talk about that." She whispered.

"I thought we went over your behaviour yesterday, Elena." Damon reminded her, tapping his fingers on the edge of the plush seat. She winced, remembering their talk. Right. She didn't have a choice, did she?

"I was lying in bed one morning when I heard the wagon pull up outside. I knew that they were supposed to be coming for me, but I didn't know it would happen a few days before Christmas." She whispered, staring at her fingers. "It was December 22nd. They dragged me out, didn't let me take anything but the clothes on my back. Bonnie hadn't turned 17 yet - so they didn't take her. But I never got to say goodbye."

Damon reached his arm out, his hand encircling hers and squeezing. She took a deep breath, still not looking at him.

"They took me to this auction place in an old warehouse, and they sold me to these slave traders. I have no idea how I spent that night - when I woke up, I was tied up in a dark room. Then they put me out on this stage in the middle of this market, and all the vampires...they were looking at me like I was a piece of dirt or something. And then you bought me."

Damon rubbed circles into the back of his hand. "Actually, my friend Kol bought you for me as a Christmas Present. He had you sent to me."

"Oh." She whispered, nodding slowly. "I didn't know that."

The rest of the ride was spent in a comfortable silence - although Damon was feeling more and more uncomfortable by the second as he realized what would happen once they reached the village.

The carriage hit a bump in the road, breaking the silence, and noisy chatter filled the air. Elena looked out the window, pressing her palms to it like a small child would.

"We're here!" She said excitedly, feeling the carriage roll to a stop. She jumped up immediately, heading for the door.

A pale hand wrapped around her wrist, holding her in place. "Elena." Damon said gravely. "I need you to sit down."

She frowned. What more did they have to do? She seemed to be dressed appropriately - her red coat and boots hid most of her slave dress, and her hair wasn't messy. She knew the slight make up she wore was perfect - she'd checked in the mirror this morning. Were they going over the rules or something?

"Damon, I know the rules, if that's what you're worried about. I won't try to escape, I won't talk to anyone unless asked a question, I'll follow all your orders, I'll behave like a lady-"

"Elena, that's not the problem. It's just that...you're not ready quite yet." He motioned for her to sit down again, and she took a seat beside him, confused.

"But I have everything I ne-"

"Not this." Damon reached for the black bag, his hand bringing out the items.

Elena's eyes widened. A collar and rope.

"What's that?" She whispered nervously, dreading the answer. No, he wouldn't actually...he wasn't going...certainly not...not...no...

Damon sighed. "Elena, you're required to wear this." He scooted closer to her and she backed away, hitting the window with a dull thud. She turned to look out at the village again, and it suddenly became all too clear.

"These people...they're all-"

"Vampires." Damon confirmed quietly. "You don't think I spend my time in human towns, do you? The village that you would have known is probably 100 miles away. This is vampire land."

Elena's stomach felt sick. As she gazed out the window she began to notice little things. A large man was dragging someone - obviously a human - across the square. There was a rope attached to a collar around the human's neck. On the other side of the square, she could see the same thing. It was happening _everywhere._

He sighed. "I need you to take off your coat."

"W-what?"

"Your coat." He reached for her waist and softly untied the sash, then undid the buttons and pulled the coat from her body, leaving her in her snowboots and slave dress. He held up the other items from the bag.

Damon moved closer to her and she backed away again. "N-no! Damon don't!"

"Elena, listen to me. Don't you know what happens if I bring a slave in not wearing this? They'll have you killed."

"Then don't bring me!"

"We're already here, and I need you to help me get the things I need." He said firmly, taking her hand and pulling him close to her.

"You're not putting that on me!" Elena shrieked. "NO! I'm not going to wear that thing!"

"Elena-"

"NO! I won't! You're not putting that on me! You're not! Don't touch m-"

In one swift movement, he had her pinned against the wall of the carriage. She struggled helplessly as he took out a length of rope.

"Elena, I'm going to tie this around your hands now. I don't want to do this forcefully so please calm down." He waited, and after a moment Elena stopped struggling, and began to tremble.

"Damon, please don't do this..." She watched in horror as he bound her wrists together. He picked up the collar and she shrieked.

"NO!"

"Elena, please. I wish I didn't have to do this but I do. Don't make this hard for me."

Tears brimmed in Elena's eyes as he slipped the black leather collar over her head and fastened it gently around her neck, trying not to hurt her. She looked away pointedly, avoiding his eyes as he held the piece of rope connected to her collar in his hands.

"I don't understand what the problem is." Damon said quietly. "All the other humans here will be wearing one."

Anger flashed in Elena's eyes, mixed in with the tears that were threatening to spill. "That's because you're not the one who's being forced to wear a collar and be pulled around by a piece of rope! I don't want to be pulled around like some sort of animal!" She cried. "I'm a human being! It's bad enough that I'm a slave, and now you're making me show it in public!"

"It's the law. I don't have a choice." He told her. She scoffed at this.

"A choice? There's always a choice!" She yelled, and he gave her a warning look. She quieted down and turned away from him. "I can't go out there with this on." She whispered.

"You can and you will." Damon told her, trying to sound as firm but kind as possible. She obviously didn't think he sounded kind, because she refused to budge. He tugged lightly on the rope and she shrieked.

"Elena, stop this!" He said angrily, pulling her up and wrenching the carriage door open. He lifted her down the steps, and she struggled.

He leaned down to whisper in her ear. "Don't behave like this. I don't want to have to hurt you." She finally seemed to give up, and he sighed.

"We'll go to the market first." He told her, and he began to walk down the village. Elena stumbled after him, trying to keep as close as possible so he wouldn't have to pull her along. As they passed a number of shops a group of male vampires shot her dark looks, wolf whistling as she walked by them.

Elena felt humiliated, being tugged along through a crowd of vampires with a collar around her neck. She fought to keep the tears at bay as she realized they'd reached the market.

Everywhere they went, people seemed to leer and jeer at her. No, they weren't people. They were evil, malicious vampires. They shot her disgusted looks. They tripped her. A few of them even spat on her.

It was all too much, being treated like she was some sort of disgusting monster. Although she wasn't the monster here. Elena's eyes overflowed. "Damon..." She sobbed helplessly, turning away from a few vampires who chuckled cruelly at her appearance.

He looked back, and his eyes immediately softened as he watched her silent tears leak out. Stepping closer, Damon led her into a quiet alley where no one else was around. He pulled her into the corner and she started to cry aloud.

"Hey, Elena, look at me." He tilted her chin upwards and blue eyes met watery brown.

"I can't do it, Damon." She cried. "They were looking at me like I was...a monster or something, or an animal, or..."

"Take deep breaths." He encouraged. "I just need to get a few things and go to the local bar, and then we'll go." His hand came up to cup her cheek, trying to make her relax.

"N-no!" Elena tugged helplessly at her collar. "Please just take it off, Damon! Please, please, please just get it off of me...I don't want to be seen with...looking like...Damon..." She broke down and he held her to his chest, his hand rubbing soothing circles into her back.

Damon shut his eyes tightly. He didn't want to make Elena wear the stupid thing, but what if they caught her? She could get killed. Still...he understood now.

"You're humiliated." He said gently. She nodded. And as he watched her doe eyes glisten with tears, his mind was instantly made up. He sighed, brushing a stray strand of hair off her cheek.

"Hey," He said softly. "Let's get this thing off you."

Elena's eyes brightened immediately and she gave him a weak smile in gratitude. He untied her bound hands gently, and then carefully undid the collar and lifted it over her head. He tucked the things inside his jacket pocket, watching as she gave the collar one last glare before it disappeared inside.

The tears had vanished from her eyes and the ones that had managed to leak out were dry now. He noted, however, that she still looked undeniably nervous.

"Elena, you're safe with me." Damon reminded her. "Here, link your arm through mine." She did just that, and he pulled her body closer to his, knowing she would grow scared the moment they walked out of the alley.

He slowly led them out of the corner and down the black alley, walking her back into the busy village. He could hear her heartbeat pick up like a drum as they walked through the crowds and shops.

"Damon?" She whispered, low enough so that only he could hear.

"Mmm?"

"What if they know because of my dress?" She gestured to her tattered black slave garment, and he frowned. He should've let her keep her coat - but it was against the law for slaves to own posessions. Damn it though - she still had her boots on.

"I''ll deal with it." He murmured, and she nodded.

The market was packed with people - no, vampires, Elena reminded herself - and Damon walked them over to a stand in the corner. Elena's stomach turned as she realized what he was buying. Blood bags.

She bit her lip and looked away as he paid for them, tucking them under his other arm while his left one was still linked with Elena's.

Out of the corner of her eye, Elena spotted a shop that sparked her interest. A clothing store. She and Bonnie used to love going to boutiques and shopping - when her parents were alive. But the orphanage wouldn't let them leave, so shopping had become a dangerous activity, since they'd had to sneak out to do it.

Damon watched her face light up as she spotted the clothing store, and he smiled slightly. "Elena, if you want to, you can get some new clothes."

She turned to him, shocked. "But...don't I have to wear slave clothes?"

He shrugged. "Yes, but...what about in your free time? Don't you want other clothes? You know, soon enough I'm going to run out of those pyjamas and such that I give you when I clean you up in my bedroom..."

She blushed. "I...would love some new clothes, actually."

Damon grinned. "It's settled. Let's go. Besides, I know the person that works there." As they walked towards the store, he watched her smile excitedly, all the fear and worry gone from her face. He couldn't help but think about the fact that their arms were still linked. He knew she was only doing it because she was afraid, but to others, it would make them seem like a couple.

They entered the store and Damon quickly whispered in her ear a reminder that the shop keeper would be a vampire. She nodded.

Damon took his arm out of hers and she turned to him, panicked. He shot her a reassuring smile. "It's all right, Elena. This is Caroline." He gestured towards the shop keeper. "She won't hurt you. Caroline and I have known each other for a long time."

Caroline looked surprised, but shot Elena a small, polite smile. "Do you know your size?" She asked. Elena bit her lip.

"Um, two?"

Caroline nodded. "Sure. Right over here..." She led Elena over to the right side of the store. "Try on whatever you want."

Elena nodded, rummaging through the racks slowly. Caroline sauntered over to Damon, who had taken a seat in the chair by the window.

"She's human." The blonde whispered. Damon nodded.

"She's my slave." He smiled as Elena brought out a dark red dress, holding it up to her body and looking in the mirror. Caroline looked at him confused.

"Damon, you come in here every couple months to buy extra clothes for your slaves if you need them. But why have you brought this girl? And where's her collar?"

Damon shifted uncomfortably. "Elena. Her name's Elena. I brought her in here because she's the only slave I actually interact with and allow real clothes. I thought she might enjoy choosing them herself. She was humiliated when I made her wear the collar. I couldn't make her wear it, Care."

"You interact with her?" Caroline said incredulously. "Don't get me wrong - that's a great thing! You need a friend, Damon. More friends than you have. But it's just that the Damon I know would never be this kind to a slave. You care about this girl."

"No." Damon's voice went icy cold, and the blonde rolled her eyes.

"In just 30 seconds I could tell, Damon. The way you smile when she smiles makes that very clear. And you called her by her real name, not 'slave'."

"I don't give a damn about her." Damon hissed. "She's nothing to me, Caroline. A distraction, a toy for my amusement. She's just a pathetic, teenage, human girl. She also happens to be my slave."

"A slave that you care about." The other vampire defended.

"I don't care about her."

"Then why isn't she wearing a collar?"

"Caroline, she was crying. I didn't want to make her wear it." He growled.

"Because you care about her."

"No, because she was making a f-"

"Damon?" Elena's small voice broke them out of their conversation, and both vampires turned their heads to find her standing a few feet away, a pile of clothes in her slim arms. She bit her lip nervously. "Can I try these on?"

Damon looked at Caroline. She raised an eyebrow, and he sighed. "Sure, Elena. The point is to get you some new clothes, so go ahead."

The brunette nodded and Caroline stood up, smiling warmly at Elena. "Here, let me help you with those." She took the clothes out of Elena's arms and set them down in the changing room. Elena walked in and drew the curtain closed.

Damon listened as her clothes dropped to the ground and he tried to keep images of Elena naked out of his head. Caroline sat down beside him again.

"She called you _Damon_. She used your real name." The bubbly vampire mused. He sighed.

"She doesn't do that usually."

"Really? Because she seemed comfortable enough to do it in _public."_

Damon hissed. "Fine, Caroline. What do you want me to say? Look, I treat her differently than the other slaves. She's special, different. I give her clothes. I gave her books, pillows and blankets. I gave her back her family locket. I don't get mad if she eats in the dining room. I try to give her proper food, I try not to hurt her. When I was going to sell her to Klaus Mikaelson, he tried to rape her and I saved her. Hell, I even built her a skating rink."

"You built her a _skating rink?_"

"But at the end of the day, she's just a slave, and-"

"You built her a _skating rink_!" Caroline's voice rose in tone and he was sure Elena could hear them by now. An awkward silence filled the store - thankfully, there were no other customers while they visited - and he wondered if Elena would say something. The curtain slowly drew back.

"Do you like it?" Elena was the picture of innocence and vulnerability. She was wearing a light blue camisole and dark jeans, complete with converse. Damon stared at her, in awe of her beauty. He couldn't deny that - she was insanely beautiful.

"I love it." His friend's voice cut through his thoughts, and he watched as Caroline walked over to Elena. "You're definitely buying these."

"I don't have any money." Elena blushed. The blonde smiled at her.

"I think Damon's got that covered, darling." Elena's gaze flitted over to the dark haired, blue eyed man watching her from his chair by the window. She shot him a tiny smile and he smirked in response.

"I'm gonna go try the rest of them on." Elena mumbled, disappearing behind the curtain again. Caroline shot him a knowing look.

"You care about her." Caroline said matter-of-factly.

"No."

"Then why did you save her from Klaus Mikaelson?"

"I didn't want to see her get hurt." He sighed.

"So you care about her."

"No."

"Then why did you save her from Klaus Mikaelson?"

Damon groaned, knowing this conversation was just going to around and around in circles. He leaned back in his chair. "Just drop it, Caroline." He sighed in relief as she shrugged and weaved her way over to the lingerie section.

"Elena, sweetie? How about these?" Caroline passed a few sets of the lacy lingerie over the curtain and Damon could literally smell the blood rising to Elena's face as she blushed.

"I'll think about it." Elena whispered, admiring herself in the mirror. She was wearing a dark black, lacy dress. It looked like the sort of thing Damon would like to see her in. _That's not the point, _she reminded herself.

* * *

Elena smiled and waved goodbye to Caroline, watching as the blonde vampire waved back. Caroline had been the first vampire that she'd ever met who had truly been nice through and through.

Damon cursed. He'd forgotten his stupid blood bags in the store. "I'll be right back." He told Elena quickly, disappearing into the store. She stared after him.

After she'd finished trying the clothes on, she and Damon had taken the clothes over to the counter and he'd paid for them. He wouldn't let her see how much he'd spent, but Elena guessed it was a lot, since she'd gotten at least 50 different items. She remembered how he'd raised his eyebrows at the sight of the black lacy dress - that she _had _decided to buy - and how she'd turned away, a blush staining her cheeks, as he'd watched Caroline scan the lingerie sets.

"Take it!" A rough voice whispered in her ear, and Elena gasped, spinning around in shock as she was broken out of her thoughts. A dark skinned man was standing behind her, and he looked, well...mad. There was a necklace that appeared to be made out of human teeth hanging from his neck, and he wore many beaded braceletes on his wrists. There were dark tattoos up and down his arms.

Elena realized he was holding something out to her. It was a small purple flower. Was that...? No, it couldn't be.

_Vervain. _

She hadn't seen any of it in Damon's manor, and she knew why. Vervain was poisonous and toxic to vampires. He wouldn't want any of that lying around for her to use.

"Take it!" The man said again, shoving it at her roughly. She swallowed nervously.

A couple days ago, she'd asked Damon if he'd ever grown vervain. He'd stared at her incredulously. _"Of course not. Why would I do that? Anyone who is seen with vervain in this house will be punished severely, Elena. Remember that."_

His words had served as a warning to her. The man was still holding it out to her, however. "I saw you coming out of that shop with your master. He's a vampire. Damon Salvatore, isn't it? Did he tell you about the time he ripped one of his slaves apart after they dropped a bag of his shopping? He did it right over there, by that fountain."

Elena's throat ran dry. She'd never really asked Damon about what he'd done before she arrived.

"Keep this with you. Don't show it to him, but if he tries to hurt you, use it!" The man shoved it into her hands, and was gone. Elena stared after him.

"Elena?"

She quickly shoved the bundle of flowers into the pocket of her dress. "He was just some crazy old guy trying to steal my bags." She told Damon, who had emerged from the store. He rolled his eyes, and started to walk.

Elena followed him, the little flowers in her dress pocket feeling more like a betrayal than a safety precaution.

* * *

Damon and Elena quietly strode into the tavern. He'd wanted to come in here, and had promised it wouldn't take long. He set her shopping bags down under their table and pulled her chair out. She sat down quickly, trying not to draw attention to either of them.

The waiter walked up to them, and Elena flinched away. He would be a vampire too, wouldn't he?

The man's eyes trailed over them both, finally coming to rest on Elena's face and then dropping down to her neck. "She's human." He growled.

"None of your concern." Damon hissed.

"Slaves are not allowed to sit on the chairs."

"Don't test me." Damon threatened, giving him a dark glare. The man shook his head in disgust and walked away. Damon turned back to face her.

"Elena, I'm sorry about this. I know you hate being referred to as a slave."

Elena's throat was dry and felt constricted, and her hands were curled into tiny fists. "I'm fine." She whispered. He gave her a knowing look, then dropped the subject and stood up.

"I'll order our drinks." He muttered. "Stay here. You're safe. Don't talk to anyone and keep your eyes down."

Elena nodded and interlaced her fingers, shifting in her seat nervously. The tavern was full of vampires. It was loud, noisy, and not very pleasant...but if Damon wanted something, he got it.

"Fancy meeting you here." A voice mused in her ear. Elena nearly jumped out of her skin.

Oh god no.

No.

Please god no.

"Hello, sweetheart." His icy voice filled her ears, his cool breath fanning the back of her neck. His pale hand grabbed the back of her arm.

"Stand up quietly. Don't make a sound, or I _will _kill you."

Shaking with terror, Elena slowly stood up from her seat. Not a single person looked up he practically dragged her through the busy tavern. She could see Damon leaning against the counter up at the front of the store, but he was completely oblivious as to what was going on.

He took her out the back door of the tavern, and pushed her into the dark alley behind the building. Elena knew what she'd see when she turned around, and she slowly wheeled around to face him.

Klaus's ice blue eyes still shone with the same kind of sick, twisted humor. His blue eyes weren't warm like Damon's. There was not an ounce of sympathy or mercy in them - there was nothing but cold ice.

She knew exactly what was going to happen next. And it did. His hand clapped over her mouth, and she let out a muffled shriek, twisting desperately.

"Damon!" She cried helplessly, pushing his hand off. "Damon, help!"

"Damon won't help you. Not this time." Klaus said smoothly, re-placing his hand over her mouth and silencing her for good. "This time, you won't get help, my sweet Elena."

And then with that, they were gone.

* * *

**Review if you want to see the next chapter!**

**I'm sooo excited for 4x14! Only 2 days to go, and then we can see it! I really want there to be some Delena scenes, that's honestly really what I look forward to every week.**

**So, did you like the chapter? UH OH! Klaus is back, and he's got Elena this time. Can/Will Damon save her? Does he want to? He told Caroline he doesn't care about her, but...**

**One more question: I know there are tons and tons and TONS of chapters to come on this story...but do you guys prefer happy endings or sad ones? **

**~DelenaRain **


	11. Day 42

**Hey guys ;) Sorry about the wait, I've been busy and this took a while to write. It's a longe one, so I hope you enjoy it :D**

**4x15 was...I can't even. I cried from 8:02 (2 mins after it started) to 9:10 (10 mins after it ended)**

**I think Damon did the right thing by turning her humanity off. It was the only way, I believe. Your thoughts?**

**Enjoy the chapter ;)**

* * *

_Klaus's icy blue eyes still shone with the same kind of sick, twisted humor. His blue eyes weren't warm like Damon's. There was not an ounce of sympathy or mercy in them - there was nothing but cold ice._

_She knew exactly what was going to happen next. And it did. His hand clapped over her mouth, and she let out a muffled shriek, twisting desperately._

_"Damon!" She cried helplessly, pushing his hand off. "Damon, help!"_

_"Damon won't help you. Not this time." Klaus said smoothly, re-placing his hand over her mouth and silencing her for good. "This time, you won't get help, my sweet Elena."_

_And then with that, they were gone._

* * *

Damon sighed, picking up his and Elena's drinks and carrying them back to their table. It was starting to get on his nerves how so many people had given him and Elena judging looks - what exactly was so bad about being human? He knew it was against the law to treat Elena the way he was...but still. Why did people care so much?

"Here you go." He murmured, setting the drink down in front of...

An empty chair.

"Elena?"

Suddenly, he was on full alert. He set the drinks down on the table and turned, scanning the room. Where was she? The restroom? But there was no women's restroom.

"Elena?" He repeated her name, his eyes still searching for her slender figure. She was wearing her black slave dress, and the little white snowboots she'd found in the manor. Straight brown hair, wide brown doe eyes, gorgeous features...she was impossible to miss.

Except she wasn't there.

In the front of the tavern was the counter and the bar where he'd just come from. She most certainly wasn't among the crowd of vampire up there. The rest of the room was full of the tables and chairs like the ones they'd been sitting at. So where was she?

_"Don't talk to anyone and keep your eyes down."_

That's what he'd told her to do, right? Elena would have no reason to disobey him. He knew she was far too frightened to make eye contact or talk to any of the vampires in this room - hell, in this town, apart from him and Caroline.

It didn't make sense. No women's restroom. No reason to disobey him. No one to-

No one to take her.

Or not.

Damon's eyes flickered over to the backdoor of the tavern. If she had left the building, she couldn't have used the front door - he'd have seen from his spot by the bar and counter. But if she'd had a reason to leave, or had been forced to, she would've used the back door.

Been forced to leave. Had someone...taken her? Had someone _kidnapped _Elena?

Damon strode back up to the counter. "I need to see the records of purchases today." He spat at the man behind the counter. The man looked bewildered.

"Why?"

"It's important."

The man - vampire - behind the counter pushed a book over to him, and Damon quickly flipped it open, running his finger down today's page. There was a list of names and what the people whose names they belonged to had bought.

But nothing in the list names popped out at him. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary.

Wait.

At the bottom of the page, one name had been carefully written in long, elegant handwriting. A name that chilled Damon to the very bone.

_Klaus Mikaelson._

* * *

The wagon rolled over another large bump in the road, causing Elena's small body to be lifted up and slammed back down harshly on the cold wooden floor again. She let out a muffled sob into the gag that Klaus had cruelly tied around her mouth, letting more tears leak from her eyes and onto the floor below her.

When Klaus had taken her from the tavern, he'd knocked her out cold. She'd woken up here, in a carriage presumably, with her ankles and wrists bound, a gag stuffed in her mouth, and a bag over her head, obscuring her vision completely.

Her last image of Damon had been of him leaning against the counter, ordering their drinks, his back turned to her. He probably didn't care that she was missing. Maybe he didn't know. Maybe he was happy.

And yet despite that, Elena was begging god that he did care. That Damon knew she was gone, and that he was worried. That he'd come running after them, stake Klaus, and carry her back to the manor. He'd tuck her into her bed - maybe even give her an extra blanket - bring her a glass of hot coco, and offer to spend the night with her. And that's where she would stay: wrapped up in his arms, listening to his soothing words.

But Damon wasn't here, he didn't care - or know where she was - and he wasn't coming to save her.

Still. He'd been so kind to her today - buying her so many clothes that it must have cost him a fortune. Then there was the skating rink. The way he called her 'Elena'. How he'd taken off her collar.

The wagon rolled to a stop, and Elena's stomach filled with icy fear. This was it. Klaus was going to take her out, tie her down to a bed, rape her, and kill her.

Hands wrapped around her waist, roughly pulling her from the wagon and dragging her along a rough surface. She could feel dirt underneath her feet; small rocks and twigs cut into her bare feet - her snowboots were gone.

Elena was dragged along the ground for a while before she heard a door opening and closing. Suddenly, her feet came into contact with cold cement - so she must've been inside now. But where?

The bag was pulled off her head and she found herself staring into Klaus's icy blue eyes once more. She looked around. He must've taken her back to _his _manor - and brought her in through the basement.

"Hello, sweetheart."

"W-what do y-you w-want from m-me?" Elena struggled to keep her voice firm. Because she knew exactly what he wanted from her, and knew that her fate was now sealed. No one would come to save her this time.

"I think you know very well what I want from you." Klaus said coolly.

"P-please just l-let m-me g-go...I h-haven't done a-anything w-wrong..."

"Quiet." He said sharply. "You belong to me now, and you will do as I say."

"I belong to Damon!" Elena said defiantly, feeling a rush of courage flood through her. Klaus couldn't just take her. She belonged to Damon. She might be his slave, but that meant that she belonged to him and no one else. Even if he didn't care.

Klaus let out a snarl. "How dare you talk to me like that, you filthy little wretch!" He roared, and pushed Elena. She stumbled backwards and twirled around, realizing with a sickening jolt that there was a set of stairs behind her. They were also cold cement - and appeared to lead down to a cell.

Klaus gave her another shove, and Elena screamed. She fell face-first down the stairs, tumbling and rolling and screaming in pain. It seemed to last forever - this searing, white hot agony that shot through every inch of her body.

When she finally reached the bottom, her eyes were blurry and she couldn't see. She could smell blood - her own, of course - all around her and realized that a large pool of it had gathered by her head. And her stomach. And her legs. And-

Oh god, she was bleeding everywhere. Everything felt bruised and bloody, and as Klaus shut the heavy metal door, trapping her inside the cell, Elena's vision faded to black.

* * *

Damon sat on the bed, his head in his hands. He'd laid out all Elena's newly-bought clothes on her little bed, promising himself that she would see them. She was going to come home. He was going to find her, and then he was going to bring her home.

He could just imagine the smile that would light up her face as she saw all her new clothes laid out for her, ready to wear. She'd laugh and twirl and clap her hands in delight, all the worry gone from her features.

Except that Klaus had her.

_Damon stared at the name, the words refusing to sink into his mind. Klaus Mikaelson. Klaus had taken Elena. He had her, and she was defenseless and weak. _

_This couldn't be happening. Why would he want her? Revenge? For what?_

_It didn't make sense. And yet it did. He didn't know why Elena had been taken, but it had definitely been Klaus that had taken her. _

_He flashed over to the back entrance to the tavern, stepping out into the alley and looking around. There were no signs of struggle - of course not. Klaus wouldn't want that. No evidence, and yet it was blatantly obvious that this was where she'd been kidnapped._

_They would be long gone by now. Klaus was an original - it would have taken him merely seconds to get them to the front of the village and into a carriage of some sort. And it had been at least...what, 7 minutes now? Yes, they'd be long gone._

_So what was he supposed to do about it?_

_Elena was just a slave. Why did it matter if she died or not?_

_But it did. It mattered for reasons he could not yet comprehend. No, he was not going to let Elena Gilbert die. He was going to find Klaus, save Elena, and keep her safe for the rest of her time with him._

_He knew exactly where Klaus lived - he'd been there dozens of times. But that wasn't the problem. The problem was sneaking in, finding Elena, and sneaking her out._

_Besides...was there any point? It would be too late anyway, wouldn't it? Klaus would surely have taken everything from Elena by the time he got there. He would rape her. That would destroy Elena permanently._

_Meaning he had to find her before Klaus took the chance and did it._

Damon rummaged through the clothes. He hadn't wanted to just leave them back in the town, because he _was _going to find her. She wouldn't appreciate them all being left behind, would she?

_"Elena, you're safe with me." _He'd said as he took her out of the alley.

_"Stay here. You're safe." _He'd told her in the tavern.

Christ. He'd promised her she would be safe. He'd _promised. _And now she wasn't.

Deep down, he knew it was too late. She could be dead already.

Which was part of the reason why he hadn't gone to get her yet. He had no plan. And what if...what if she really was dead? What if he got there and had to see her dead body? Or if he managed to sneak her out...but she'd already been _raped? _How would he ever repair her?

But he had to try.

He picked up the little black lace dress he'd bought for her, feeling the delicate fabric in his hands. It was now or never. If he waited any longer it would surely be too late - although it probably already was.

He stood up, leaving the slave quarters and speeding down the stairs to the front door. Damon grabbed his leather jacket and stepped outside, wondering how in the hell he was going to manage this.

* * *

**~4 hours since Elena fell down the stairs~**

Elena's eyes slowly opened, and she struggled to focus them. After a minute, everything that was blurry became clear again - the same with her thoughts.

She remembered saying something rude to Klaus. Then, he'd pushed her down the cold stone steps and locked the door at the bottom of them, leaving her trapped in this cell.

She couldn't move a muscle. Elena twitched her fingers, and flinched. Her fingers were definitely broken then. It looked like one of her legs was too - and maybe one of her arms. There were bruises all over her body, but that was just the parts that weren't covered by clothing. Under her dress there was bound to be a hundred more.

She could feel dried blood on her temple, and all over the rest of her body. How badly was she hurt exactly? She needed to be sure.

Wincing, Elena slowly turned her head to the left. The movement brought unexpected shoots of pain throughout her entire body, and she let out a shriek of agony.

From the angle her head was at now, she could see that she was lying in pools of her own blood. The damage wasn't minor. Her body was broken.

The metal door had been locked tightly, and through the wide bars and tiny slits she could see the cold steps she'd fallen down. There were patches of blood on those, too.

No one appeared to be coming. Not Klaus, not one of his slaves...not Damon.

No one.

But she was quickly contradicted when footsteps echoed down the stairs, the noise startling her. Elena tried to move backwards, but every movement just caused her 100 times more pain than the last.

The door swung open and Klaus gazed down at her. "I see that fall didn't do you any good." He said coldly, taking in her bruised and bloody body.

Elena swallowed painfully. "P-Please let me go." She croaked.

Klaus smiled. "Where would be the fun in that?" He knelt down beside her body and the rush of fear that shot through Elena caused adrenaline to surge through her body. She sat up, holding back screams of pain, and backed away.

"S-stay a-away!"

But Klaus only inched closer to her, his stance predatory.

"D-Damon will k-kill you for t-this!" She lied.

He shook his head. "Damon? Do you honestly think Damon _cares _about you?" Klaus laughed cruelly, rolling his eyes. "Damon will be happy to have you off his back. He could never care about a worthless slave like you."

"N-no!" Elena blurted, refusing to believe him.

"Yes. Worthless. Meaningless. Your existence is pointless to him. You're a slave. A teenager. A human. A girl. He doesn't care about you in the slightest." Klaus was now pressed up against her, his cool breath fanning across her neck.

Elena could only shiver in fear. This couldn't be happening. It wasn't.

Klaus's fangs extended, and she screamed, backing into the wall. He followed her, tightening his fist in her hair and yanking her head back. Her long neck now lay exposed to him, and without a second thought, Klaus tore his fangs into her silky olive flesh.

* * *

Damon had never liked Klaus's manor. Not one bit. Even after all these years, it still bothered him. He didn't like the feel of it. Every room you went in felt like a dungeon, like you were Klaus's prisoner, and he hated that.

He knew Elena would too.

He wondered if she was still alive. Damon's heart was pounding, and his throat felt dry - he hadn't felt like that in a century. What if she was dead? What if he had to see her dead body, her lifeless corpse? What if, when he got there, he had to watch Klaus kill her?

Except he was already here, crouched outside the manor. There was no turning back now.

His best bet was to take the stone steps that led down to what must've been the cellars. But he couldn't hear any heartbeat but his own...where the hell was she?

It was possible that Klaus had taken her somewhere else. But why would he? He knew no one could defeat him, so there was no point in running with her.

It didn't matter now, though. He had to find Elena, _now. _Before it was...before it was too late.

Without a second thought, Damon flashed down the stone steps. Using vampire speed was probably his best bet - he needed to do this quickly.

He broke the knob of the door off and stepped into the corridor, looking around. Long rows of cells greeted him, the bars wide with slim cracks.

There were no brown haired, doe-eyed girls in any of them. He couldn't hear any hearbeats, hear any screams, or smell any blood. What the hell was Klaus planning on doing to her, then?

* * *

"S-stop!" Elena sobbed, hugging herself and backing away from Klaus. He'd just removed his fangs from her neck - for the fifth time. They'd been at this for hours. He wouldnt' stop feeding from her, no matter how much she begged him to stop. But now, after so much blood loss...she felt faint; she knew she was going to collapse any second now.

"I'm surprised." Klaus purred. "Hasn't Damon fed from you more often? I thought you'd be used to this." He pushed Elena backwards, and her head slammed into the stone wall, causing her to emit another yelp of pain.

Elena thought back to the times Damon had fed from her. The first time had been painless - it was the night he'd held that stupid party. The second time had been a few days later; she'd been cleaning the floors early in the morning and he'd come in and forced his fangs into her. That time it had hurt. The third time it had hurt even more. He'd just pulled her out of the lake, and he was so angry that he basically just attacked her, even after she'd come so close to death. And the fourth and final time had been around two days after that - when she'd tried to please him by being a good slave.

Damon had been rough, yes. It had definitely hurt, had definitely been painful. And no, he hadn't had a lot of mercy for her.

But Damon would never do this. He would never repeatedly feed from her like Klaus was. Klaus, who was obviously trying to drain her dry.

"Elena." Klaus called, and she was broken out of her thoughts. She stared at him in fear, her eyes wide.

Klaus leaned in close, his gaze catching hers. His icy blue eyes stared into hers, not a trace of warmth or pity in them. "I want you," Klaus began. "To hold your breath."

Elena's eyes widened. "W-what?"

"Hold your breath." Klaus hissed, and she realized with a sickening jolt that he was _compelling _her. And there was nothing she could do to stop it.

All of a sudden, she found her body reacting to his words. _No, no, no..._But it was too late. Her mouth instantly closed and she stopped her chest from moving.

Klaus smiled cruelly at her. "Isn't it so much easier when you have no choice?" He drawled. Elena made a choking sound, her lungs already beginning to burn from lack of air.

"Good girl." He mused, watching as she tried to force her body to allow itself to breathe.

She knew it was useless to struggle, and so she stopped. After a minute or so, Elena's face began to turn blue and her chest convulsed.

"K-laus!" She choked. Was he actually going to kill her?

But the monster of a man refused to let up. Instead, he only watched her with amused eyes. "Maybe I should call Damon." Klaus said, shrugging. "He might get a laugh out of watching this."

Her vision began to go black, and she slumped to the ground, knowing this was the end. The tips of her vision were now completely dark, and slowly, the centre began to fade away too...

"Stop."

Elena gasped for breath, letting tears escape her eyes. Yet another difference between Klaus and her real owner. Damon would never have done that for so long. She remembered the time he'd tried to choke her - but still, he would never have kept it up like that.

Klaus glanced at his watch. "It's getting late. And there are things I still have planned for today." A smirk crept onto his face, and Elena screamed aloud, despite the pains it sent through her chest.

She knew what was coming.

Klaus stalked towards her. She was still lying splayed out on the ground - she hadn't been able to get up once, meaning that she'd been right in her predictions. Her leg was definitely broken.

It didn't help that she had no weapons. No wood, stakes, or ver-

Oh god.

_Vervain._

It was still in her pocket, the little leaf that the man had given her. As Klaus neared her, Elena dug her hand into the pocket of her dress, using her other arm to conceal what she was doing, and making it look like she was just putting her arm by her side.

Klaus knelt down by her, reaching for her dress. Just as he took a handful of it in his fist - to rip, presumably - Elena shoved the lock of vervain into his eyes.

Klaus howled in pain, releasing her dress and stumbling backwards. His hands went over his eyes and Elena crawled towards the cell door, holding back screams of pain as pressure was applied to her broken leg.

She pushed the metal door open and scrambled out. She needed to get up on her feet - but with her broken leg, how was she going to do that?

What the hell was she thinking? She had no idea how badly the vervain would wound Klaus. Her leg was broken - she couldn't walk, and there was no chance in hell that she could run. Even if she could, where would she go? She had no idea where this manor was. Even if she managed to get out of here, she couldn't go anywhere. Klaus would catch up to her, she didn't know how to get back to Damon, and Damon certaintly wasn't going to be waiting for her outside or anything.

Her best bet was to hide - but Klaus would eventually find her. Still, it could buy her some time. Maybe if she could get outside, she could limp into the woods or something. She'd stumble around for days, with her broken leg, but maybe she could find a way to a village or something.

There was a chance.

One chance in a million.

Except that she was still here, right outside the cell and not five feet from Klaus. Her leg was broken, her arm was broken, her body was broken. She was lying against the wall, coming up with a plan when she should be finding somewhere to hide.

Hiding from a vampire. It was laughable.

"Did you actually think that a little piece of vervain would stop _me, _the oldest vampire in the world?" Klaus laughed darkly, and then his eyes narrowed into tiny slits.

She watched his fangs extend, and let out a scream. He dragged her back inside the cell - by her broken leg, causing her to scream louder - and pushed her against the wall.

Within seconds, he'd ripped her dress to shreds. Elena held the pieces of it to her body, still screaming.

"Don't touch her." A voice snarled, and Elena froze. Her screams stopped at once, and slowly, she turned her head to the side.

He looked like he'd run the entire way here. His dark raven hair was messy and ruffled, and his hands were clenched into fists. Glacial blue eyes bored into hers, dark fire burning in them.

He'd come for her.

_Damon._

"I said, don't touch her." Damon spat, and his eyes left hers to meet Klaus's. Klaus looked shocked, but he recovered quickly.

"Damon. Had I known you cared about this little brat, I wouldn't have stayed here." He said coolly.

"Hand her over.

"She's mine now."

"She's not yours!" Damon roared. "Now. Hand. Her. Over."

"No."

Damon lunged at Klaus, knocking him backwards into the stone wall. The two vampires rolled around, and Damon quickly gained the upperhand, pinning Klaus down and snarling.

"Forgetting I'm an original?" Klaus hissed, and in a mere second, he'd reversed their positions. Elena gasped in horror. What did Klaus mean by original? Was he really the oldest vampire in the world?

But that didn't matter now. Klaus's hand was getting dangerously close to the spot above Damon's heart, and Elena knew what was going to happen next.

"Damon!" She screamed. He pushed Klaus backwards, turning to look at her.

"Elena! Get me a stake!"

Elena's eyes widened. But...her leg. How on earth was she going to find a stake around here?

"Damon...my leg..." She cried helplessly.

"ELENA! NOW!" He tackled Klaus, and they fell to the ground again. Tears streamed down Elena's face. Damon needed a stake. Now. But her leg...

It didn't matter, Damon needed one and she was going to find one.

Crawling towards the cell entrance for the second time that day, Elena bit back sobs of pain. If Damon died because she wasn't fast enough...

Oh god. She'd forgotten about the large stone steps leading upstairs. She'd fallen down them yesterday night...how was she going to get back up? She needed to get on her feet. Placing her arms on the ground, Elena let out a scream of pain as she used her broken arm to push herself up to her feet.

Every muscle, bone, and vein in her body hurt like hell. It was definitely far more than her leg and arm that was broken. There were probably several ribs broken, her shoulder was probably out of place...and, oh right, her fingers and toes.

She staggered towards the steps. There was no railing...

Elena looked back. Damon and Klaus were still rolling around, their fists smashing into each others' noses. Damon's head turned to face her for a split second.

"ELENA! WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING?"

Her eyes widened and she stumbled up the steps. On the very top one, her leg gave out and she slipped, her chin smashing into the wall. Blood trickled from her nose and all she could taste was blood in her mouth.

Across the landing, there was a small wooden chair. If she could just break one of the legs off...

She collapsed in a heap next to it, desperately trying to break a leg off of it. But she was too weak - it was pointless. Elena pushed the chair towards the stairs, and, using her good leg, kicked it.

It tumbled down the concrete stairs, breaking as it fell down. At the bottom, it landed in pieces - creating a bunch of stakes.

"Damon!" Elena cried, needing him to know she'd supplied him with weapons.

"RUN! ELENA RUN! Don't you dare come back down here! Run as fast as you can!"

She waited for a minute, not wanting to run until she was sure he'd gotten one of the stakes. But Damon's figure never appeared at the bottom of the stairs. Oh god - he must've been trapped underneath Klaus, unable to get to one.

She needed to help.

Elena stumbled down the stairs, tripping at the bottom and landing in a heap next to the stakes. She was shaking with fear, but she had to get one of these things to Damon.

She picked up the largest one and threw it into the cell. Sure enough, Klaus had Damon pinned to the ground. Damon's head turned at the sound of the stake landing on the floor beside him, and he grabbed it, managing to get his left arm free.

Elena watched in terror as he threw Klaus off of him. She turned away, covering her eyes. She couldn't watch this. A few snarls of rage, sounds of snapping bones, and hisses echoed around the room before one final roar came and then there was silence.

She slowly uncovered her eyes.

Damon was breathing heavily, crouching next to...

Klaus's body.

"Y-you did it..." She said shakily. Damon shook his head.

"Klaus is an original. This won't kill him. We have about 25 minutes before he wakes up, which is why we need to get the hell out of here. What were you thinking, Elena? I told you to RUN!"

"I-I'm sorry..." Elena cried. Damon took in the sight of her. She was lying on her side, her hand pressed into her stomach. Most of her body was covered in dried blood and fresh cuts, and his chest tightened painfully at the sight.

"We need to go. NOW. I'm going to run as fast as I can, do you understand me?" He asked. She nodded quickly.

"Good." Damon flashed over to her and scooped her up in his arms, and she curled into him helplessly. "Close your eyes. Now." He instructed, and she shut her lids, hiding her face in his chest.

He used his vampire speed to whip them out of the manor and outside. Harsh wind blew against Damon and he threw his jacket off, tucking it around Elena's shoulders.

Damon didn't think he'd ever run so fast in his entire life. Here he was, carrying a little human girl - bridal style - in his arms as he ran away from a man he'd always hated deep down. A man that had just tried to kill Elena.

The next 40 minutes was spent running. Damon wanted more than anything to stop and set Elena down in the grass, then feed her his blood to heal her.

But Klaus would be awake and murderous right now, and he couldn't risk 10 seconds' worth of time wasted. Before leaving, he'd had Brenda - his witch - put a spell on the grounds around his house to protect Klaus from getting in.

The spell would only last a week, but he figured that would be enough time to get Klaus to calm down and stop hunting them. Or not. He knew Klaus wanted them both dead now.

By the time they reached the manor, Elena was half-asleep in his arms. He kicked the door open and stepped inside, refusing to put her down.

Elena blinked her blurry eyes into focus. "Where are we going?" She mumbled sleepily. Why wasn't Damon taking her to the slave quarters?

Damon didn't answer, and Elena felt herself slip back into the haze she'd been in before. She felt as though she were underwater. Everything was blurry and silent.

The feeling of hot water on her cold skin broke her out of her trance, and her eyes shot open. She was lying in a bathtub that was filled to the brim with hot water, still only dressed in her lingerie. Klaus had ripped her dress to shreds back at his own manor.

She gasped as she realized that Damon was kneeling next to the tub, his eyes wide with...concern?

"Elena?" He asked.

Thank god she still had the lingerie on, and thank god the bubbles completely covered her almost-naked body. She shot him a weak smile.

"You saved me..."

"Not quite yet." Damon whispered. She watched in confusion as he brought his wrist to his mouth and bit in. Oh. He held his wrist out to her. If she took some of his blood...all her wounds would heal. But she would also be in danger of becoming a vampire for the next 24 hours.

Damon sensed her reluctance. "Elena. Two of your ribs were broken, as were your right leg and arm. Your left shoulder was dislocated and your skull was fractured. Almost all of your fingers were broken and so were several of your toes. Your left ankle was also fractured, and you had a large wound in your stomach."

Elena bit her lip. She leaned forwards, taking Damon's wrist carefully and biting down. He sighed. "I don't know what Klaus did to you, but you were seriously injured."

She drank for a moment, and then pulled away. "He pushed me down the stairs." She whispered.

"The stone ones?"

"Yes." She nodded.

Damon's eyes widened in anger. "But you could have had your neck broken!"

"I know."

He took deep breaths to calm himself, then met her eyes again. Elena slowly felt the pain in her body disappear. The blood washed off in the water, and she winced as she felt her shoulder pop into place again. There were strange sensations in her chest, arm, leg, and ankle - meaning all the broken bones there were probably mending. It was the same with her fingers and toes, and she could feel the cut on her stomach closing up.

"Thank you." She whispered.

He stared into her eyes. "Elena, I was so...so...I was..." He took a deep breath. "I was so _worried _about you."

Elena was shocked. "Y-you were?"

He nodded, and she shot him a weak smile. Underneath the bubbles, Elena carefully slipped her ruined lingerie off, handing them to him. He wrung them out and chucked them into the garbage, knowing she wouldn't ever want to wear them again.

After soaking in the water for almost half an hour - with Damon watching her - Elena opened her eyes once more.

"Damon? Can I...?"

"Of course." He gestured to a towel on the counter and turned away at once. She stood up and quickly grabbed the towel, wrapping it around herself tightly. Damon looked back at her.

"Here. Dry yourself up and put this on." He handed her a robe, and left the bathroom, shutting the door behind him.

Elena toweled herself off and slipped the lavendar robe on. It smelled like lavendar too, a scent that she'd always loved. Although wearing nothing under the robe worried her - and it only came up to her mid thighs - Elena decided to let it go. She'd almost died tonight, and she was safe now. Nothing else mattered.

Damon re-entered the bathroom, scooping her up in his arms and carrying her out. She realized that it _was _his bedroom they were in. He carried her over to his bed and set her down, tucking the covers around her. He climbed into the bed next to her, and Elena was grateful he did. She didn't want to sleep alone - not tonight.

"Thank you." She whispered, one last time. He smiled.

"You're welcome."

And then, without another thought, Elena drifted off into dreams.

* * *

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**So, thoughts on 4x15?**

**~DelenaRain **


	12. Day 43, Day 46, Day 50

**Hey guys ;) So sorry about the long wait, I wanted to update so badly since I had so many great ideas for this chapter and I really wanted to write them. The thing is, all my teachers decided that the past two weeks were the perfect time to give tests -_- I don't have any fucking idea why, but they are all just retarded and I've been studying like crazy. But yesterday I got out for Spring Break, so now I have all this free time to write! YAY! Oh, and my laptop fried, so I had to write this on my Ipad and I don't have one of those keyboard thingys yet so it toko a while.**

**4x16 was pretty good, I thought, what about you guys? But 4x17 will be better - DELENA IN NEW YORK! YES!**

**Enjoy the chapter ;)**

* * *

_Damon re-entered the bathroom, scooping her up in his arms and carrying her out. She realized that it was his bedroom they were in. He carried her over to his bed and set her down, tucking the covers around her. He climbed into the bed next to her, and Elena was grateful he did. She didn't want to sleep alone - not tonight._

_"Thank you." She whispered, one last time. He smiled._

_"You're welcome."_

_And then, without another thought, Elena drifted off into dreams._

* * *

Elena's eyes shot open and she gasped, sitting bolt upright. She trembled in terror, covering her eyes and shaking her head. He was here. Klaus was _here._

In the darkness of the night, her eyes finally managed to register a shape lying next to her. Oh god, was that him? Was that Klaus? Please no, no, no...

"Elena?" A concerned voice asked, and she swallowed. That was definitely _not _Klaus's voice.

It was Damon's.

The memories flooded back into her head, and suddenly, everything became clear again. He - Damon - had saved her. He'd carried her home and had placed her in a warm bath, keeping watch the whole time. He'd healed her, whispered soothing words of comfort, and then had taken her into his bedroom.

She had to warn him about Klaus.

"Why is it that you're awake in the middle of the night, Elena?" She turned. Damon was the dark shape lying on the bed next to her. In the dark, she could faintly see his blue eyes staring at her.

"Damon, Klaus is here! W-we h-have to r-run!" She cried.

Damon sighed. "Klaus isn't here, Elena."

"Yes he is!"

"No, he's not. Elena, it's 2 AM. You need to go back to sleep."

"B-but..."

"Sssh." Damon soothed, placing a hand on her arm to calm her. "It was just a bad dream, Elena. Klaus isn't here. I saved you. You're safe now, I promise."

Elena's eyes filled with tears. "I _know _he was here."

"Elena." Damon said gently. "I know you're still scared, but you need to relax. Klaus isn't here. Just close your eyes."

She whimpered, but eventually obeyed, closing her heavy lids and taking a deep breath. She couldn't be scared of Klaus for the rest of her life. She needed to move on. Damon had saved her.

"You should know. I had my witch place a spell on the manor that will keep Klaus out for approximately a week." Damon told her, and she reopened her eyes.

"Y-you did?"

He nodded. "I wasn't going to let him come back and hurt you."

"He wants to kill me." She whispered.

"He wants to kill both of us." He corrected, and she moaned. Would Klaus ever just leave them be? Maybe he wouldn't. Maybe Klaus would forever want revenge, would forever be seeking to end them...

"Get some rest." Damon said softly, and she closed her eyes again. A month ago, she would've been horrified to sleep in the same bed as him. But everything was different now. Damon didn't appear to want to cause her harm anymore. Lately, he'd just been so..._kind._

* * *

**4 hours later**

The next time Damon opened his eyes, he knew it was time. It appeared to still be early in the morning, maybe 6 or 7 o'clock. It wasn't like he expected Elena to get up and start doing chores, so he figured that she would stay fast asleep for a good while.

Slipping out of the bed, Damon tucked the covers up higher around Elena and let his hand rest on her cheek for a moment. She really was gorgeous. Seeing her so bloody and bruised last night had affected him in ways he wished it hadn't.

But just because he couldn't care about her, it didn't mean that he couldn't look out for her.

And he had a very special day planned for her.

* * *

**4 hours later**

Elena yawned, stretching and rolling over in the huge bed. Almost immediately, she came into contact with a wall of hard muscle. She knew it an instant what it was - or rather, _who_ it was.

"Good morning." Damon smirked at her playfully, and she couldn't help but smile.

"Good morning." She whispered back. She was still a little embaressed about waking him up in the middle of the night and freaking out about Klaus when it had so obviously just been a bad dream. But something told her that he wasn't angry.

Damon was watching her with something she found hard to place in his brilliant blue eyes. Was that..._excitement? _About what?

"It's time to get up." He told her, tugging gently on her arm.

"Why?" She asked, furrowing her brows in confusion.

"I have something to show you."

"And what would that be?" She asked sleepily, rubbing her tired eyes. He smiled.

"Come on." He said, taking her arm and pulling her out of the bed. Elena made a noise of irritation, and he gave her a look that silenced her.

She allowed him to pull her out of the bed, blushing as she realized she was still dressed in her pyjamas. But did it really matter now? After all, yesterday he'd seen her in next to nothing.

She closed her eyes as Damon tugged her out the door and down the stairs. She trusted him. Oh god, she _trusted_ him. This man - who had seemed so horrible when she'd arrived here a month and a half ago - well, she _trusted_ him. After everything, she felt comfortable enough with him to share a bed with him.

Oh god. Oh god...

The full realization of what had happened hit her. 40 days ago, this dark man - vampire - had abused her, hit her, bitten her...and last night, she'd shared a bed with him. She'd laid next to him all night, just inches away under the soft cotton sheets.

No. She couldn't start to care for Damon. She _couldn't_.

But how could she not?

"Where are we?" She murmured, remembering he'd been taking her somewhere. They were in an unfamiliar part of the mansion - she didn't remember ever cleaning here or walking through it.

"The east wing of the mansion. I don't usually have you do chores here."

"I don't recall that either. But Damon...why are we going through here?"

Damon shot her a secretive smile, and she groaned inwardly, wanting to know just what he was up to.

Damon watched her brown eyes flick around as she struggled to keep up with him. Taking pity on her, he slowed down a bit to let her catch up and walk by his side. He was so excited to show her it. He wanted to see her reaction so badly.

They stopped outside a white wooden door, and Elena frowned. "What's this room?"

Damon took a deep breath, opening the door and pulling her in. "Elena...welcome to your new bedroom."

Elena's breath stopped as he pulled her over the threshold. What...had he just said? "What did you just say?" She breathed.

The corner of Damon's mouth curved upwards into a crooked smile that Elena seeing on him. "I said, welcome to your new bedroom."

"My...new _bedroom_?" Butterflies swirled in Elena's stomach and she swallowed.

He nodded. "Yes. Come on, take a look around!"

Refusing to believe what she was hearing, Elena hesitantly stepped forwards into the massive room. On the left wall was a door leading to a large bathroom, and she could see from her angle that it was a complete with a large shower and a tub.

Her breath hitching on her throat, she turned back to the main room. The walls were painted a creamy white colour. The thing was, the room was still colourful and Brit with the help of the lilac coloured accents everywhere.

In the right corner, sat a huge shelf filled with books. Elena's eyes brightened in surprise. Books!

On the wall next to her sat a fashionable leather sofa and a coffee table. Against one wall was a massive wardrobe, complete with a beautiful antique vanity next to it and a plush stool.

And against the far wall...a large, queen bed had been pushed against it. Silvery, see - through flowing curtains hung from the sides. The blankets were a gorgeous light purple, and the pillows matched the curtains. Elena felt herself unable to breathe. This room looked like it was made for a princess.

"This...is all for _me_?" She choked, and Damon nodded.

"Your new room." He reminded her, and she shook her head.

"I-I can't accept this!" Elena cried. "Damon, this room looks like it's made for a princess, not for...not for a slave."

"Well it's been made for you." He told her. "Now go on, open the wardrobe. Isn't that what girls usually head for? And don't worry - you can go get your book and other things from upstairs and move them in here."

Speechless, Elena shook her head. "But..._why_?" She whispered.

It took Damon a moment to answer. "Because you deserve it." He said finally, slowly putting the words out there.

Elena bit her lip, unsure what to say. Finally, she decided she should probably just react politely. "T-thank you."

He grinned at her. "Go on. I know you're dying to see the clothes inside of that thing." He glanced at the wardrobe again, and Elena let out a surprised giggle. In truth, she _was_ dying to see what would be inside the large piece of furniture.

She cautiously took tiny steps towards the wardrobe, eventually reaching it. Swinging the creamy wooden door open, Elena gasped.

"You...brought them home for me." She whispered. Every single article of clothing he'd bought her at Caroline's boutique sat inside the wardrobe. There were rows of shoes on the shelves inside, and racks of clothes hanging.

"Y-yes." Damon stuttered, his mind reeling. _"You brought them home for me."_

Elena had just referred to his mansion as _home_. Why did that shock him into oblivion then? It was just...he'd never expected that she might actually think of her prison as _a_ _home_. Wasn't this place supposed to feel like that? A prison? Like the walls were bars closing in on her?

He cleared his throat, pushing the thoughts out of his mind. "Elena, make yourself comfortable. You went through a lot yesterday, and you need to relax. Get dressed. Shower. Do whatever you want, but you need to rest."

Damon shot her one last smile, before disappearing out the door. She stared after him, confused. Why had he left so hurriedly? Hadn't he been worried about her moments earlier? She sighed and turned back to the wardrobe, pulling out an outfit.

Damon was right. She needed to get some rest, and forget about this whole thing.

* * *

**February 7th (3 days later)**

"Caroline, are you _sure _you haven't seen him in town?" Damon hissed, running a hand through his dark hair in frustration. For the past hour, he'd been on the phone with Caroline, telling her everything that had happened. From Elena's abduction to giving her a new room, Caroline had an opinion on everything.

"Damon, Klaus hasn't been here. I usually see him from the shop window, across the square, by that slave-trading shop. He's not here."

Damon sighed. 4 days from now, the spell protecting the house from Klaus would lift, exposing him and Elena to the older vampire. When Brenda, his witch, had done the spell, she'd done it so that the second him and Elena entered the house the day he'd rescued her, they would be sealed inside. No one could get in - or out.

He couldn't just keep getting the witch to place the spell over the mansion - he needed to leave it! So what the hell was he supposed to do?

"Caroline, how the _hell _am I supposed to protect her from Klaus if he can get into the house?"

"Relax." She soothed. "Klaus can't be _that _angry at you. I'm sure he'll forget about the whole thing soon enough - he's a busy vampire. Elena and you will be fine. Just let it go." She paused for a moment, allowing Damon to collect his thoughts.

Maybe Caroline was right. Surely Klaus wouldn't hold this against him for much longer. Why did the original even care? Elena was just a teenage girl. He had no real reason to want her dead.

Except...

"Look, Caroline. Klaus tried to kill Elena. He failed, because I saved her. Klaus never loses - he won't just let this go! He's going to go after her until he suceeds in ending her life!"

The blonde on the other end of the line sighed, looking around her little shop. Just days ago, her old friend - and her new human one - had stood in here, happy and content. It seemed like they were even on the way to being friends _themselves. _How had things gotten messed up so fast?

"I don't know, Damon. I don't know what you're going to do. Just stop worrying for now."

She heard her old friend sigh, and knew he was choosing to let it go for the moment. That meant she could finally talk to him about what she thought was the highlight of the past few days.

"I can't believe you gave Elena a _bedroom_!" She squealed.

Damon groaned. Shit. He should've known telling her this would cause a commotion. "It was just one thing. I wanted her to feel comfortable after almost dying the other day."

"What about the clothes?" Caroline challenged. He hesitated, and realized she must be smirking.

"You took them home for her, didn't you?" She teased.

He rolled his eyes. "I wasn't just going to leave a few thousand dollars' worth of clothes sitting in the middle of a tavern. That would be a waste of money."

"Whatever you say, Damon." Caroline said innocently.

Unbeknownst to Damon, Elena had finally emerged from her room for the first time since the day she'd been given it. She made her way down the corridor, feeling happy.

Her new room was amazing. She'd spent the past few days cleaning herself up, trying on all her clothes again, and sleeping. The meals Damon had sent to her room were large and satisfying - he'd even had a servant knock on her door and give them to her! Elena was beginning to feel more like his guest than his slave.

However, the smile disappeared off her face as she realized that in a few days, she'd have to get back to her regular duties. Horrified, she stopped in the middle of the hallway. Oh god! What if Damon had expected her to get back to them already...and instead, she'd just been relaxing in her bedroom! Crap! She quickly turned, intending to sprint back to her room, throw on some slave clothes, and find a floor to scrub.

But as she turned, Elena realized she'd stopped outside of Damon's lounge. The door was closed, and she could hear muffled voices inside. Was he talking to someone?

Don't do it, don't do it...her subconcious tried to persuade her not to eavesdrop - Damon might get angry - but she had to. Pressing her ear to the wooden door, she began to listen.

"...going to leave a few thousand dollars' worth of clothes sitting in the middle of a tavern. That would be a waste of money." That was Damon. Was he on the phone with someone?

After a moment's silence, he spoke again. "Yes, Caroline, whatever I say. Look, it's just a bedroom! I wanted her to have a safe place to sleep."

Elena's face flushed. Oh. Damon was talking to Caroline...about _her. _

What was he saying? There was another long pause - meaning Caroline must've said something - and then Damon spoke again. "I know, Care. Wait...hold on, I think...I think I hear her outside. I'll call you later."

Elena's eyes widened and she stumbled backwards from the door, wheeling her body blindly away. She started to run, when suddenly, the all-too familiar sound of a door opening sounded in her ears. She gasped, her foot slipping on the carpet. She slid and tumbled to the floor, landing on her side.

A male chuckle filled the air, and she winced. He was going to be so angry at her for listening in...

"Elena, are you alright?" She watched as Damon knelt down beside her and touched her arm. She nodded hurriedly.

"I-yes."

Damon's eyebrows furrowed, but his smile stayed in place. "Elena, you look like a terrified little mouse. What's wrong? Are you hurt?"

"I-no." Damn it! She cursed herself. She sounded like a total idiot.

He raised his brows, and she shrugged. "I-I'm fine."

He studied her for a moment. The past 3 days had treated her well. The beautiful, human girl sitting in front of him looked well rested and wide awake. She'd showered and changed into new clothes, and he could see she'd applied some simple make up that matched her skin and had straightened her hair.

"I'm not angry at you for eavesdropping." He told her. "You have every right to want to know about...about Klaus."

An icy cold chill ran through Elena. "K-Klaus?"

He nodded. "Yes. Elena, you know that Klaus is angry with me, don't you?"

She nodded shakily.

"Listen. The spell that my witch placed around the house will only last 4 more days. After that, Klaus will be free to get inside the house."

Elena bit her lip. "Is there a way to put another spell on the house?"

Damon extended his hand, helping her up from the floor. "Yes, but the thing is, Elena, the spell also seals us _inside. _The same with the other slaves. And we can't just hide in here forever - my slaves need to go out into town to get me things and I have to do the same."

"O-oh." She squeaked nervously. So basically, she'd be available for death in 4 days.

Damon seemed to read her mind. "Hey. Look at me." He tilted her chin up, forcing her to meet his eyes. "Klaus won't touch you. I promise."

Something inside of Elena bubbled to the top, forcing it's way out of her mouth. "Yeah, the last time you promised I was safe it definitely worked out, didn't it?" She said sarcastically.

A silence fell over the room.

Elena's entire body froze as she realized what she'd just said. Oh. God.

Blue fire flared up in Damon's eyes, and his body started to shake with anger. He snarled, raising his hand higher, ready to land on her -

_Shit. _His hand came down to his side in an instant as he realized what he'd been about to do. He was going to _hit _Elena. Her brown doe eyes were wide with terror, and he noticed that her entire body was quivering.

"No...Elena, I'm so sorry, I wasn't actually going to...Elena..."

Tears were brimming in her eyes, and he quickly wiped the first one away as it cascaded down her cheek. He grabbed a handkerchief from his pocket and brushed away the few tiny, pearl-shaped tears that fell from her eyes. "I'm so sorry, Elena. I wasn't thinking. I just got angry."

"N-no, _I'm _sorry." She choked. "I wasn't thinking when I spoke."

"No, no, no...it's not your fault. I have terrible restraint, Elena. I'm sorry. Are you alright?"

"Y-yes, I'm fine. I'm just glad you didn't..." She trailed off. _Just glad you didn't actually hit me._

"Me too." He said quietly. "I'm really sorry. Hey, let's just forget that happened, alright?" His eyes begged for her to understand.

She nodded. "Okay."

He breathed a sigh of relief. "Great. Now, Elena, listen. I promise you, this time, Klaus won't get near you. But you have to promise me that once the spell is lifted, you won't step out of this house without my permission. Am I clear?" His tone turned serious.

She nodded again.

"Alright. No leaving." He said firmly, and she nodded again for the third time. Yes, she wouldn't leave...but that didn't mean Klaus wouldn't come in.

* * *

**February 11th (4 days later)**

Elena didn't remember ever being so scared in her entire life. The day she'd been transported to Damon - December 24th of last year - had been pretty terrifying, but the outcome hadn't been that bad. She was now living in a mansion with a huge bedroom of her own, delicious food, and a man - that she still couldn't quite explain - who was nice to her sometimes.

But today was different. Today, her entire body was shaking. In fact, her hands were shaking so badly that she could barely hold the sponge as she shakily scrubbed the floor.

That morning, she'd gotten up earlier, vowing to get back to her old duties and please Damon.

One thought had constantly plagued her mind for the last 4 days. What if, when Klaus came to get her - and he surely would - Damon gave her up? What if, to save his own life, he let Klaus take her?

But she couldn't think about that. It was bad enough, that in just a few hours, the spell would lift and she'd be screwed. Klaus could just walk in anytime he wanted and take her. And it wasn't as if Damon cared enough to give the house to her, so that it belonged to a human, keeping Klaus from getting in. Maybe he was afraid, that if he did, she wouldn't let him in again.

With quivering hands, she placed the sponge back in the water, soaked it, wrung it out again, and scrubbed the floor. Just hours from now, there was a large possibility that she'd be dead.

"Elena?" A confused voice asked, and she looked up at once. Damon was standing in the doorway of the room she'd been working in, his eyes fixed on the sponge in her hands.

"What are you doing?" He asked, his brows furrowed.

"I'm doing my d-duties." She half-whispered. His eyes widened with realization and he shook his head.

"No, no, no. Elena, stop it. Put that down."

She dropped the sponge back into the water, flinching. What had she done now?

"I don't want you doing chores anymore. You went through a terrible ordeal just a week ago, and I don't want you working. Oh, and look! You've even dressed in the slave uniform!" He sighed. "Elena, if I wanted you to do your duties I would've told you that. Now put these silly things away and go get changed."

She stood up quickly, stumbling around. He held back a chuckle. Damon took the bucket and sponge from her. "Here, I'll clean this up. Go get changed."

Elena looked at him in confusion, and he nodded. When she didn't move, he gave her a gentle nudge to remind her who was in control. "Now." He said softly, and she hurried out the door to her room.

He cleaned up the bucket and sponge, rolling his eyes. Why on earth would she think she had to do chores? Especially today! The spell would be gone in a few hours and he had heard her pounding heart the second he'd entered the room. She needed rest, not work.

Damon decided to wait outside of her room while she changed. When he was confident she was ready, he quietly opened the door and stepped inside, breathing a sigh of relief when he realized that she'd had the time to change.

Elena was sitting at her vanity, her slim body seated on the stool as she stared into the mirror. She noticed him come up behind her, taking her hand.

"Hey. Elena, breathe." He reminded her. "I know you're scared, but you have to relax." But no matter what he said, Damon knew she was still going to be tense. He glanced at the clock that sat on the wall above the shelf she'd put all her shoes on. There was 3 hours until the spell lifted.

"Come on." He said gently, helping her over to the bed. Elena was practically having a panic attack; her breathing was laboured and she was shaking harder now.

Damon lay her down on the bed, tucking the covers around her. He climbed in next to her and wound his arms around, ignoring the fact that he was holding a slave in his arms. "Please just breathe. You need. To. Calm. Down."

"I-I c-can't!" Elena choked, her hard breaths turning into sobs. "Damon, please d-don't l-let Klaus t-take me...Please, please, please..." She was full on sobbing now.

Damon's eyes widened. "What are you talking about?" He asked in confusion.

"I-Klaus. Please don't let him take me..." She begged.

His breath stopped for a moment as he realized what she believed was going to happen. Elena thought that he was going to give her up to save himself, and she'd never be more wrong about something.

"I would _never _let that _monster _take you." He said firmly. "_Ever. _I _promise, _Elena."

Through her tears, he saw Elena nod. Rocking her back and forth, Damon couldn't ignore the fact that she was still visibly shaking. He sighed, seeing no other option.

Slowly, Damon tilted Elena's head up and met her eyes. His pupils dilated, boring into hers. "You're going to go to sleep, Elena. You're going to go to sleep and you're not going to wake up until tomorrow morning, at 10. You're going to go to sleep and dream about happy things, like your family. You're going to go to sleep, _now._"

Elena's brown eyes never left his, until finally, they closed, and her breathing evened out. He wiped the tears off her cheeks and sighed. It had been the only option. She would've been scared all night if he hadn't done that.

As he stared at her beautiful features, Damon wondered what in hell he was getting himself into.

* * *

**Review if you want to see the next chapter!**

**So, once again, sorry about that horribly long wait (that I hated too) but I'm back now :)**

**Look for the next chapter within the next few days I hope. I think I'll have some time to write, so yay :D**

**OH, AND: I got a tumblr! YAY! It's so much fun guys, I'm obsessed! My URL is delenarain ;) Follow me if you're interested! It's a Delena blog, but you'll see Damon/Elena/Ian/Nina/Nian stuff there too ;) So yeah! Folllllllllllllow!**

**One more question: You guys don't think Elena's too hate-able in this story, do you? I wanted to make people like her, since way too many people dislike the show Elena :( **

**Best review award: So, since it went to VintageBeautyX last time (also thank you for leaving another incredible review!) it has to go to someone different this time. So it goes to: StarfishOnTheBeach. Thanks for your input on the story! Honorable mentions are: EmmaSalvatoreSomerhalder and CallistoAngel - you guys are so sweet too, I loved reading your reviews!**

**~DelenaRain **


	13. Day 51, Day 53, Day 63

**Hey guys ;) Sorry about the slightly longer wait than promised, but typing this on my IPad without one of those keyboards has been tricky :/ **

**Fortunately, I'm getting a new laptop soon (thank fucking god)**

******To the guest that asked me if I liked other couples on the show: Well, Steroline is cute I guess, and Klaroline, but honestly? My heart belongs to Delena, and I really have trouble shipping other couples because I dont think that, in my eyes, anyone could even compare to what Delena have. Just my opinion, of course! **

* * *

_Slowly, Damon tilted Elena's head up and met her eyes. His pupils dilated, boring into hers. "You're going to go to sleep, Elena. You're going to go to sleep and you're not going to wake up until tomorrow morning, at 10. You're going to go to sleep and dream about happy things, like your family. You're going to go to sleep, now."_

_Elena's brown eyes never left his, until finally, they closed, and her breathing evened out. He wiped the tears off her cheeks and sighed. It had been the only option. She would've been scared all night if he hadn't done that._

_As he stared at her beautiful features, Damon wondered what in hell he was getting himself into._

* * *

**February 12th (the next morning - see what day we're getting close to? :D **

Damon had always been good at compelling people. In fact, he never really needed to with women - they always just followed his orders anyways, hypnotized by his eyes. But there was women, and then there was Elena. She was a whole different story.

Why is why it surprised him when, at exactly 10 AM, like he'd compelled her, her brown eyes flew open and she sat up with a gasp.

He quickly took his arms off of her, allowing her some space to move. She stared at him quizzically, glancing around until she finally seemed to register where she was.

"What...happened?" Elena's voice was surprised, but it held no fear like last night.

Damon sighed. He'd be better off being honest with her, wouldn't he? "Klaus happened."

It took her all of 5 seconds for the memories to come flashing back, running through her head instantly and scaring the hell out of her. "Oh my god! Klaus! The barrier on the house! Is he-"

"No. He didn't show up." Damon interrupted. Last night had been calm, peaceful. He hadn't fallen asleep, it was just too risky. But Klaus hadn't showed his face anywhere last night.

"What does that mean?" Elena asked, still afraid.

He shrugged. "I guess he doesn't care. I'll keep an eye out for the next week or so, though. He might come back. But for now, I think we're good." He watched Elena's eyes widen, and then she visibly seemed to calm down. It was definitely a big change after last night. Speaking of last night, when was she going to question him about the compulsion?

They watched each other for a moment longer, before he realized she'd obviously remembered. "You compelled me." She said slowly. He nodded.

"Why didn't you make me forget?"

"What would be the point in that?" He answered truthfully. If he'd compelled her to forget, then it wouldn't be real when she forgave him.

She thought about it for a moment. He was right. If he'd compelled her to forget, then she wouldn't trust him. But she wouldn't know not to trust him since he'd have compelled her to forget, wouldn't she? It didn't make sense, why would he let her remember?

"It doesn't matter now." He said quickly, seeing her conflicted face. It was time to move on from the subject.

Damon pushed the covers off himself, pulling aside the silvery curtains and climbing out of the queen bed. Elena sat up, leaning against the headboard for support as she tried to clear her head of thoughts of Klaus.

"Find me if you need anything. Enjoy your day." Damon said emotionlessly, striding out the door and closing it behind him, leaving a very confused Elena sitting in her bed.

Once in the hallway, Damon was able to clear his head. Elena's room was lilac-coloured, sunny, light, warm, and cheery, and so was she, and being in a room with her was just so _confusing. _It was much easier when she was asleep, like last night. So in the shady, cool hallway, he was able to calm down and breathe. One more moment in that room with her, and he would've had to touch her. Or bite her. Or _kiss _her.

And he couldn't have that happen.

* * *

**February 14th (2 days later)**

Elena didn't remember ever being so confused. Damon was so hard to understand. She still wasn't sure what she'd done wrong the other day, that had made him run out the door so quickly. She'd only seen him once in the past two days, and he'd simply shot her a weak smile and had basically pretended she wasn't there.

It was like he was afraid to face her.

But why would Damon, a powerful vampire, be afraid of facing _her? _Obviously it wasn't a physical issue, so what was it?

She sighed, fixing her hair the the vanity mirror and standing up. She hadn't even remembered what day it was until a few minutes ago - it was Valentine's Day.

And a couple weeks ago, she remembered Damon saying she couldn't go skating, since she'd disobeyed him. And now that Klaus was around, Damon refused to let her leave the house.

Elena made her way down the hallway, turning the various corners of the mansion until she finally came to the kitchens. Her breakfast - which was no longer grey slush - sat on the counter, and she sat down to eat.

"How are you enjoying Valentine's Day so far?" The voice startled her, and she dropped her fork, then clumsily bent down to pick it up.

"I-uh, haven't done anything yet." She said quickly. Why on earth would Damon show up right now? Wasn't he like, avoiding her or something?

Damon cocked his head, studying her intensely for a moment. "You're upset." He finally said, surprising her.

"I-why...why would I be upset?" She asked carefully.

He gave her a knowing look. "I know you want to go skating, Elena."

She looked down. Why was it that Damon could read her so well? Even when she couldn't read herself...he always could. But it wasn't like he ws actually going to let her go skating.

"I would like to go skating, yes." She whispered.

Damon sighed, running a hand through his ruffled black locks. "You know I can't let you Elena. Klaus could be out there, and I might not be able to protect you. It's too risky."

"Just for 20 minutes?" She pleaded.

"No. My final answer is no." He told her, anger rising within him. Why didn't she understand? It was too risky! It would be far too easy for Klaus to catch them both by surprise and snatch her right under his nose! Did she _want _to be captured again or something?

"The house isn't any safer! He can just walk in anytime, you know!" Elena fumed, fire burning in her once-innocent doe eyes. Damon was taken aback.

They glared at each for a moment, and he quickly regained his composure.

"Don't speak to me like that." He said sharply, and Elena lowered her eyes. Damon's eyes softened.

"Listen, Elena. If you'd like to do something today...well, maybe you could join me for dinner tonight." He swallowed, waiting to see her reaction to him inviting her to dinner.

Her eyes flickered up to meet his again. "D-dinner?"

He nodded. Elena's expression brightened immediately. Dinner could be fun. She could dress up a bit, enjoy a nice meal, and try being happy again. She'd say yes, then.

"Dinner would be nice." She murmured, and he smiled at her.

"Great. Meet me in the dining room at 7 tonight then, alright?"

"Okay." Elena whispered, and Damon nodded. There was an awkward silence before she nodded again and turned, hurrying down the corridor and back to the safety of her room.

Although, it wasn't really safe, was it? Not with Klaus lurking in not only her dreams, but perhaps outside the house as well.

* * *

Elena smoothed down the dress, checking her hair in the mirror and twirling around. She smiled, trying not to think about how much Damon would love the dress.

It was the lacy black dress that she'd bought at Caroline's boutique - the one she'd known Damon would like even back then.

The top layer was purely black lace, which would obviously be Damon's favourite part of the outfit. To keep the dress from being see-through, a silvery layer of satin sat underneath the lace. The dress came up to around the upper parts of her thighs - not too short, but not too long either.

To top off the outfit, she'd curled her hair, put on some 3 inch black heels, and underneath...

Elena didn't know why she'd put the lacy black and red lingerie on. It wasn't like anyone anyone was going to see her in it, so it had really been a silly choice, hadn't it? Still, wearing white cotton lingerie while she dined with Damon on Valentine's Day? Not her best option either. And there she was, still being stupid. Damon wasn't ever going to see her in the lingerie, so why did it even_ matter_?

By the time Elena arrived downstairs outside the dining room, it was 7:06. She nervously twirled a strand of hair around her fingers, shifting in her heels. Would Damon be upset that she was late?

"You look gorgeous." A voice purred, and she spun in shock, nearly tripping in her heels. Damon was leaning against the wall, usual smirk in place - of course. He looked as handsome as always, but something about his appearance had changed. The black shirt he wore seemed a little more elegant, and it was rolled up at the sleeves - something that _hadn't _changed. His hair seemed darker than usual; presumably from the shower. This caused his already hypnotizing blue eyes to stand out even more.

"You're not too bad yourself." Elena stammered, inwardly cursing herself for sounding like a complete fool. Damon looked like he was holding back laughter as he stared into her nervous eyes, smirking.

"7:06. You're late." He commented. She blushed.

"Sorry. It took a while to do my hair."

Damon shrugged. "Fashionably late." He said, beckoning for her to join him as he made his way into the dining room. Elena followed on shaky legs, then gasped as she saw the breathtaking display he'd prepared. Lit candles sat all over the room, giving it a golden-like glow. Plates of delicious food were spread around the table, and the two chairs that she and Damon would use sat right next to each other, instead of on opposite sides of the table.

"I thought it would be best if we sat close to each other, instead of like 10 feet away." He said dryly, and she nodded in agreement.

He held the chair out for her, and she slid into it, shooting him a grateful smile. He took a seat beside her.

"I wanted to give you this." Damon began, taking out something from behind his back. Elena stared at the object in surprise. It was a long, beautiful rose; the colour was a deep red, similiar to the colour of...blood.

"Thank you." She said, confused as he handed her the rose.

"It's to...give you my _apologies _for not allowing you to go skating today." He said slowly. He really did feel terrible about not letting her go skating. After all, it had been a family tradition of hers, and it was clear that her family meant a lot to her, no matter if they were dead or not.

"But you do understand, don't you?" He asked, watching her reaction. "Klaus could be out there at this very moment."

"I know." Elena sighed, running her index finger over one of the rose's silky petals. She'd only ever felt something this silky and soft before...his _lips._

Damon nodded, pleased that she understood and had accepted the rose without any protests. With that, they dug into their meals, although Damon's eyes never left her face for a second.

* * *

An entire hour later, Elena leaned back in her chair, one hand rubbing her aching stomach. "I think it's safe to say that I'm full." She announced, sighing.

"You little humans." Damon rolled his eyes. "You get so worn out, so easily." He smiled at her, amused as she let out a groan.

The past hour of his life had been one of the most fascinating for him yet. He'd asked Elena many questions, and she'd done the same in return. She'd told him all about her past life; all about her parents, her little brother Jeremy, her best friend Bonnie who had psychic powers, and Jenna, her aunt. What made him feel the most guilty was that almost all of them were dead. Her parents and Jeremy had died in the car accident, and Jenna had been killed by a vampire. That was the most awkward for him to listen to - finding out why she hated vampires so much. Then, the only other person that was left alive was Bonnie, whom Elena hadn't seen now in nearly 2 months.

"-and so her Grams was always telling her she had these psychic powers." Elena continued. "Of course, her Grams was too old to take care of Bonnie, which is why she had to live with me and my parents after _her _parents died and then the orphanage."

Damon nodded, trying to seem interested. The truth was he couldn't stop thinking about Elena's aunt being killed by a vampire. That was why Elena hated vampires so much, right?

"Elena? Can I ask you something?"

"Would I really be allowed to say no?" Elena said dryly, and he smiled.

His smile quickly turned into a frown, however, as he thought about his question. "I was wondering...the way your aunt Jenna died...is that why you hate vampires so much?"

Elena stared at him, frozen in place. She wasn't sure how to answer that question with anything else but the truth. So she'd be best being honest then.

"I guess." She said slowly. "It definitely made me hate them. But Damon, you have to understand, I was raised to hate vampires. The world we live in is not an easy one if you aren't immortal. You know how it works - you vampires are all rich and have mansions, and we humans live in little towns in houses that aren't so fancy."

**(A little like Hunger Games - the humans are not really wealthy, and the vampires own all the big fancy cities and have mansions and stuff, lol)**

"My parents raised me to hate people like you." She continued. "We were supposed to be scared of vampires, and think that they were horrible monsters with no redeeming qualities. I can still remember the day Jenna died. A vampire was passing through our town, stealing everyone's goods, and she went out to defend us. The vampire tore her throat out without blinking."

Damon sighed. "I know it's hard to believe, but we're not all like that." He told her.

Elena bit her lip. "I know...kind of."

There was a moment's silence. He watched her face; she seemed to have disappeared into thoughts. After a moment, she turned back to look at him.

"Can I ask _you _something?" She asked.

"Sure."

"The other day, when we were in town..." They both flinched at the mention of the town. "When you ran back inside the boutique, you left me standing there for a moment. A man...he came up to me. He was saying all this crazy stuff, and then he started to talk about you. He said..." Her voice wobbled.

Damon frowned. "What did he say about me, Elena?"

"He said that...that you ripped one of your _slaves _apart by the fountain in the square." She looked up at him through wide eyes.

Damon's breath caught in his throat. "Did he say anything else?" He said sharply.

"He said that one of your slaves dropped a bag of your shopping, so you ripped them apart limb by limb." Elena looked positively sickened now, and he shifted uncomfortably.

"I've done things in the past that I regret."

Elena's eyes widened in horror. "So it's true then? Your ripped a slave apart because they dropped one of _your shopping bags_?"

He was silent, and her eyes blazed angrily. "And would you do that to me?"

"No."

"Why not? What makes me different from everyone else?"

"Look, Elena." He said, frustrated. "I was a different person back then." His eyes bored into hers. He remembered the day that had happened as clearly as if it were yesterday. Now, a different slave sat in front of him, her arms crossed over her chest angrily as she glared at him.

"I want to know what happened." She hissed.

Damon glared at her. He couldn't believe she had the nerve to make demands like that, especially when it was obvious he was pissed off right now. "No."

"Tell me!"

"Why?"

"Because I want to know!" Elena cried. "Because you seem to want me to trust you! I want to know what happened, Damon. I want to understand why you do these things!"

"Fine." He growled. "You want to know? Fine. Look, I was in a bad mood that day. I'd gotten into a fight over the phone with Stefan, so I went into town to buy bloodbags to quench my thirst. I brought along a slave named Lucy that day. As we were getting ready to go, she dropped the bags all around the fountain. I was already in a bad mood, Elena. And you have to understand that when I'm mad, there's no calming me down until someone _is dead. _I snapped. The next thing I knew, there was blood and limbs everywhere."

Elena stared at him furiously. "So you just murdered her because you were in a _bad mood_?"

He took deep breaths, trying to control his temper. "Yes. Which is why I have to be careful around you."

Elena looked beyond angry at him. "I want to know how old this Lucy was." She spat.

Damon was enraged. The nerve of this girl...he needed to shut her up, before he lost control and did something he would regret. "You want to know? Fine. She was sixteen."

The blow that landed against his cheek snapped his head to the side, and he stared at the wall in shock, his hand coming up to cradle his burning cheek.

"You monster!" Elena screamed. "She was just a child!"

"Not even two years younger than you are, remember." He told her.

"But she _was_ younger than me! She was a child! And you _killed her_!" She shouted, too angry to even be worried for her own life. Suddenly, it became all too clear that Damon was breathing heavily, veins appearing under his eyes.

"You need to learn how to behave, Elena." He growled.

"Then put me in my place! _Hurt _me, Damon. Bite me, beat me, slap me, or whip me...does it matter? But if you're so angry with me, then go ahead and act on that anger!"

"Maybe I will!" He snarled, and with that, he reached forwards and took her right arm in his hands, snapping it like a twig.

Elena's shrill scream filled the entire mansion, ringing in his ears. The monster inside of Damon immediately disappeared, and his eyes widened in horror as he watched Elena sink to the ground, her screams of agony echoing in the room. He dropped to his knees, taking her wounded arm in his hands.

"Elena, I'm so sorry! It was an accident!"

"How could you?" Her eyes were filled with tears, and guilt flooded through him. The sight of Elena crying because of him was too much. He couldn't bear it.

"It was a mistake! I'm so, so sorry! Let me heal you!" He begged, biting into his wrist and holding it out to her.

She swallowed a few gulps of his blood, before pushing his arm away and watching as her broken arm healed quickly. As Damon leaned in, concerned, she backed away.

"Stay away from me!"

"Elena..."

"NO!" She screamed, scrambling away and trying to get to her feet. He pulled her back down, forcing her to meet his gaze. This was what he'd been afraid of - snapping and hurting her.

"How could you do that to me?" Her voice wobbled, and he ran his hands through his hair in frustration.

"Damn it, Elena! Because I do stupid things to the people I care about!"

A silence filled the room that seemed to last forever. All that either of them could here was Damon's heavy breathing and her sniffles that quickly disappeared.

"W-what?"

Damon's eyes blazed. "Was it not obvious enough? I care about you, Elena! I don't know why, but I do! And I know I'm not supposed to, but I just _do._"

"You...you care about me?"

He nodded. "Yes."

Elena stared at him in awe. Suddenly, everything that had happened didn't matter. He cared about her. Damon _cared _about her. And it was real. This vampire - this _man_...he _cared _about her. Someone in the world cared about her. She finally mattered to someone again.

"Is your arm alright?" He asked, and she nodded.

"Good. You should probably get some rest. It's been a long day." Damon told her, helping her up from the floor. As she turned, still in a daze, he turned her back around to face him and pulled her to his chest.

Her eyes widened as Damon pressed a gentle kiss to her forehead. "I hope you enjoyed the dinner." He said softly.

"I did." She whispered, and he smiled.

"I'm glad. Now go get some rest. Goodnight, Elena." With that, he turned on his heel and left the room, leaving her standing in the middle of the still-glowing room flickering with candles.

* * *

**February 24th (10 days later)**

Elena honestly couldn't have been more angry. 10 days. He hadn't spoken to her in ten days. Was that just what he did? He pushed people he cared about away? It had been diffult to accept that Damon actually cared about her - he made it very hard to believe. But his confession still rang clearly in her ears, and she couldn't just ignore it.

So why was he acting like this?

A confession like that, and she hadn't heard anything from him for ten days. Why on earth was he being like this?

Everytime she'd gotten close to his study, nerves had overcome her and she'd convinced herself to wait another day. It had now been almost 240 hours since she'd seen him - yes, almost exactly 10 days.

Unlike the other times, he was staying in his room, his study, and his lounge. At least the other times they'd gone for long periods without speaking she'd still seen him. This time, it was like he didn't exist.

Which was why she was extremely proud of herself for working up the nerve to be standing here, outside his lounge door. _Deep breaths, _she reminded herself. All she had to do was knock. Just one quick, sharp knock. Gathering up all her courage, Elena quickly rapped her knuckles on the wooden door, then paused. The long silence that followed gave her time to think. Had she done the right thing in coming here? Yes, she was sure of that. Damon couldn't just confess that he cared about her and then ignore her. Except he was.

To her surprise, the wooden door swung open after only 30 seconds, revealing a very surprised looking vampire.

"Elena." He greeted, blue eyes flickering over her. "Long time no see."

She crossed her arms over her chest defiantly. "Yes, it has been a long time. Damon, why haven't you been speaking to me? You can't just leave me for days after telling me that..."

"Yes, I can. I'm your master." Damon said icily, and she flinched.

"I thought you cared about me."

"I do, Elena. But that doesn't change the facts." He reminded her, and she sighed.

"I know. I just..." She trailed off. _I just want to spend some time with you. _But she couldn't say that. Not now, not ever. God, she wished this was simple. Why did it have to be so hard?

He sighed. "I want to show you something." He held the door open wide, allowing Elena to step in. She curiously followed him through his study, watching as he opened a door at the far end of the room. He glanced over his shoulder at her, beckoning for her to join him.

Elena stepped into the room he'd disappeared in, her eyes widening.

"A...library?" The room was large, and several leather couches sat in front of a burning fire. There was a stand behind the couches filled with various alcohol bottles - of course Damon would have those. But the walls...they were lined with numerous book shelves, piled high with books.

Her eyes lit up. Books! Her favourite activity!

She turned to look at Damon. "May I...?"

He nodded, and she eagerly ran up to a shelf, scanning through the rows until she found a book. Damon watched as she pulled out _Wuthering Heights_, curiously watching her reaction as she flipped through the dusty pages.

"But this is an original copy!"

He nodded, and she grinned. She'd been here for exactly 2 months, and yet she'd had no idea Damon had a library. The few times that she'd been in his lounge, he'd never opened the door that led into here.

Damon watched with an amused expression as she ran her eyes over the other shelves. "If you want, you can pick some out and take them back to your room." He offered, and she nodded. Why was he being so nice to her all of a sudden? Because she'd actually worked up the nerve to go and talk to him? Was that it? Was that all she'd had to do?

She selected a few books - Pride and Prejudice, Wuthering Heights again..

He raised his eyebrows in amusement when she added _Dracula _to the pile. She shrugged. "What? It's a good book!"

He raised his hands in surrender. "Sure, sure. I'm just surprised you'd enjoy a book about vampires given your obvious..._distaste _for them."

Elena sighed. "Look, Damon. I'm sorry if you're angry that I hate vampires. But like I said on Valentines Day, what happened to my Aunt Jenna didn't exactly help anything after being _raised _to hate them."

"I know, Elena. I get it."

He took a few of the books from her, and they walked back through the lounge and into the corridor, heading for her bedroom. As they passed by the front door to walk down the series of corridors that led to the room, Elena stumbled, landing on the ground with an "Oof!"

The books flew everywhere, and she flushed, hurriedly gathering them up again. Damon wasn't in a bad mood, but he didn't seem to be in an entirely great one either, and she figured that now really wasn't the time to piss him off. Surprisingly, he bent down to help her.

Their eyes met, oceanic blue burning into chocolate brown. Elena's gaze moved lower, settling on his lips. It had been weeks since they'd kissed, and yet not a day had gone by where she hadn't thought about it. During the two days that Klaus had kept her captive, it had been the one thing that kept her going while in so much pain. Every time she'd felt like ending it, and just suffocating herself, her mind had wandered to the kiss, reminding her that there _was_ hope - no matter how unrealistic that seemed.

Meanwhile, Damon was having an inner-battle. He found himself leaning closer to her, and their noses grazed. _No, no, no..._this was wrong. How could something like this be right? But Damon had always been one to believe in feelings over facts, and he couldn't deny that his feelings of 'care' towards Elena were growing stronger.

If he could just...once more...just one kiss...

With that, he leaned in as close as he could, and pressed his lips to hers.

Elena sighed, feeling safe once more. The feeling of his lips against hers sent electric shocks through her body, and yet at the same time, comforted and calmed her.

The only other boy she'd ever kissed was Matt, her childhood sweetheart who, she'd dated when she was, oh, 15 or 16. But Matt's kisses had always been sweet, friendly, and...normal. Like kissing her friend. Not exciting, or passionate...

And it was the complete opposite with Damon. She was totally wrapped up in the kiss now, threading her fingers through his raven locks and pressing against him. His hands were cupping her face tenderly, but she could feel every inch of his body against hers...

Suddenly, the front door swung open and a cool breeze hit them. They froze, quickly breaking apart and turning in shock to face the tall man standing in the doorway.

"Damon..." Elena whispered, terrified. Her worst nightmare had come true - _their _worst nightmare, that is.

He'd come for them.

_Klaus._

* * *

**Review if you want to see the next chapter!**

**I left you with quite a cliffhanger there, didn't I? :D**

**So, 4x17 was terrible in my opinion, because obviously the DE scenes were terrible. I honestly want the old Elena back so badly right now :(**

**Best review award: So I've decided to do three instead of just one, since you are all so nice! So the top three go to: StarfishOnTheBeach, MuzekWriter, and Klove. And then there's VintageBeautyX, who just...gets the best review award permanently, haha :)**

**And happy birthday to anonymous reviewer Jimmy - or, late birthday now ;) ****Also, a guest mentioned I should speed up the romance...I thought I was going at the right pace...but what do you guys think?**

**~DelenaRain**


	14. Day 63, Day 71, Day 74

**Hey guys :) Sorry about the wait, school started again (ew) and I've been super busy :/**

**I made this one long to make up for it...enjoy!**

* * *

_And it was the complete opposite with Damon. She was totally wrapped up in the kiss now, threading her fingers through his raven locks and pressing against him. His hands were cupping her face tenderly, but she could feel every inch of his body against hers..._

_Suddenly, the front door swung open and a cool breeze hit them. They froze, quickly breaking apart and turning in shock to face the tall man standing in the doorway._

_"Damon..." Elena whispered, terrified. Her worst nightmare had come true - their worst nightmare, that is._

_He'd come for them._

_Klaus._

* * *

It took Elena a moment or two to realize what was going on. Everything had happened so quickly, that it was hard for her slow, human brain to register the facts. But register they did.

She'd _kissed_ Damon. _kissed_ him. Then, the front door had swung open, revealing their worst enemy. _Klaus_.

Had he seen then kiss? What was he going to do? What was _Damon_ going to do? What were _they_ going to do?

Oh god. Klaus was going to kill them. This was it - he'd showed up to kill them. Her eyes widened with fear, and she gripped Damon's forearm, trembling. The dark-haired vampire hadn't moved at all; his eyes remained trained on the devil standing in the doorway. Slowly, Damon's blue eyes turned to meet hers. His gaze moved to her hand - the one that still tightly gripped his arm.

A sinister chuckle filled the air, and they turned back to face the vampire in the doorway. Klaus's thin lips were pulled into a smirk, his eyes glittering dangerously as he watched them.

"I'll admit," he began, "I didn't realize that having a relationship with slaves was now permitted."

Damon's entire body filled with ice, his worst fear coming to life. _Klaus knew_. He'd seen them kissing. This was it - the original would let the authorities know, and then Elena would be taken away from him and killed. From the moment he'd realized he cared about Elena, he'd worried about this. He knew that if anyone found out that he wasn't treating her as a slave - how she was supposed to be treated - she was as good as dead.

_Shit_. He had to do something.

"I don't quite understand what you mean by that." He said coolly, starting the act immediately.

Klaus raised an eyebrow, the deadly smirk still plastered on his face. "No? Maybe I could remind you of the past few minutes, in which you appeared to exchange a _kiss _with your...slave." His eyes drifted to Elena, and she stared at him in horror.

Damon didn't seem fazed. "Yes. I think there's a misunderstanding here, however. _I_ did not kiss my slave, _she_ kissed me."

Ice filled Elena's heart, and she turned to look at him, confused. What was wrong with Damon? _He _kissed _her _, not the other way around! And why wasn't he referring to her by her name?

Guilt flooded Damon as he saw the hurt in Elena's eyes, but he easily masked it. So she didn't understand. If Klaus knew that he truly cared about her, they were screwed! It wasn't as if he could exactly ask Klaus to leave for a minute while he explained everything to Elena...

"Did she?" Klaus mused, interrupting his thoughts. "How inappropriate."

"Yes. I will make sure this little brat is punished severely." He wrenched his arm out of her grasp, allowing himself one glance at her shocked face.

"Good." Klaus purred. "The little whore deserves it."

Damon restrained himself from curling his hands into fists. He was going to rip. Klaus's. Spleen out.

Meanwhile, Elena was fighting to keep the tears at bay. What the hell had gotten into Damon? Less than five minutes ago, he'd been leaning into kiss her, and now...this?

"Now." Klaus continued. "For what I came here to do." He stepped forwards, and Damon and Elena took an automatic step back.

Klaus raised an eyebrow. "Relax, Damon. I'm not going to kill you. Although I do have one request."

Elena's whole body filled with dread. She knew exactly what his 'request' would be. In just five short minutes, her whole world had turned upside down. Klaus had showed up to kill her, and Damon had seemingly gone evil. What the hell was happening?

"Anyways," Klaus continued. "I came to ask if I could take the girl for a few days. I believe she still hasn't learned her lesson." His icy gaze met Elena's, and she squeaked in fear, automatically moving closer to Damon. But the raven-haired vampire only pushed her away, his eyes narrowed into slits.

She let out a shocked gasp as Damon suddenly pushed her to the ground at his feet. "How many times must I remind you not to touch me, you filthy servant?"

Elena felt like letting out a frustrated scream. Angry tears budded in her eyes.

Klaus chuckled again. "Well, she certainly is a disobedient one."

"Yes." Damon agreed. "She is. Which is why I plan to kill her within the next few days."

Elena's entire body froze, her heart slowing down. She let out a choking sound, causing the two vampires to shoot her disinterested looks.

No. No, Damon wasn't being her serious. He _wasn't_. He couldn't be.

"If you're intent on killing her, I could certainly do the job for you." Klaus smiled coldly. "After all, you _do _owe me Damon. I seem to recall you staking me in the back a few weeks ago."

"Yes." Damon said emotionlessly. "I'm not sure what came over me. I think it's the girl's looks. One cannot deny that she is mesmerizingly beautiful. I wanted to be the only one to claim her body, which is why I acted so inappropriately. I apologize."

Dread filled Elena's heart, and she shook her head violently. "Damon, no-" She began, and he realized that she was still unaware that he was acting.

"Do _not_ refer to me as Damon, you filthy girl!" He snarled.

Klaus looked on, an icy smile on his face. Damon turned back to him. "I'm afraid I must deny your request, Klaus. I'm going to keep her here, and torture her until she dies."

Suspicion filled Klaus's eyes, and Damon's stomach filled with dread. He had to say something else, something to convince Klaus...

"However," He began casually. "If you'd like to stay for another hour to watch her be tortured, I wouldn't deny that request."

This was the moment where it would be confirmed if Klaus believed him or not. If Klaus said yes, it would mean he did not believe the act Damon was putting up and would want to stay to see it for himself. But Damon knew that Klaus was an impatient man. If Klaus truly believed him, he wouldn't stay and watch due to his impatience - he'd get bored just sitting there watching Elena being tortured. Damon fought the urge to hold his breath as he waited for the original's response, sneaking in a sideways glance at Elena. Her mouth had fallen open in shock, and she was staring at him through pleading doe eyes.

Klaus studied him. "That's alright." He said with a smirk. "I have places to go; people to kill. I think you'll do fine by yourself, Damon."

Damon was utterly relieved. Klaus _believed_ him.

Elena however, was trying to hide her tears behind her hands. Damon had just offered Klaus the option of staying and watching her be_ tortured._ Refusing to meet either of the men's eyes, she kept her eyes trained on the floor. Unbeknownst to her, her dark-haired master was watching her with a pity-filled gaze, something that he masked as soon as he turned back to Klaus.

"Well, Damon, I can't say I'm happy with our last encounter, but I can see why you were distracted by the girl's looks." His hungry gaze once again slid to Elena, and he chuckled cruelly.

"I think little Elena's crying." Klaus said coolly, not a trace of pity in his tone. Damon stared at her. She was sitting against the wall, her knees tucked under her chin as she hid her face in the top of them. _Damn it._ It wasn't her fault, none of this was. As soon as Klaus was far enough away, he would explain everything to her.

Klaus glanced at his watch. "I should be going." He turned for the door, but his eyes remained locked with Damon's. "And Damon? Never anger me again, or I will not hesitate to kill you." The threat chilled Damon to the very bone, but he merely nodded stiffly, closing the door behind Klaus.

He turned to Elena. "What the hell are you doing, slave? Get on your feet and get back to work!"

Klaus would still be listening - in fact, he would probably be listening for a while. He had to keep the act up for a few more minutes. It wasn't as if he was enjoying it or anything - putting Elena through this felt like hell.

But Elena was in tears. "Why are you doing this?" She whimpered.

"Shut your mouth." Damon snarled, picking her up by the arm and dragging her down the hall to his study. She stumbled, crying out as he pushed her inside the room and slammed the door behind them, hard.

"Damon please!" She cried, and his gaze softened. He had to explain it to her.

He grabbed a piece of paper and a pen off his desk and scribbled a note as Elena watched him with heartbroken eyes. He handed her the paper, and she cautiously took it. She didn't understand why he was doing this. One minute, everything had been perfect, and the next...

Casting her eyes downwards to read the paper, Elena took a shaky breath and let her gaze skim over Damon's perfect handwriting.

**_It's an act. I'll explain everything later. Play along. _**

Elena looked up at him. She was obviously confused, but the tears were slowly disappearing from her eyes. He nodded reassuringly at her, and she wiped the tears off her cheeks with the back of her hand.

It was an act? This whole thing had been an act? Being cruel to her, threatening to kill her...it wasn't real? She didn't understand. Why had he had to act like that in front of Klaus, though? She desperately needed him to explain, but then Damon was shoving her down on her knees as gently as he could.

"Wash the floor." He growled. His tone was harsh, but he tried to make his gaze seem as kind as possible in the current situation. Elena looked at the note again. **_Play along._**

Okay, she could do that.

"Y-yes master." She stuttered, beginning to understand. Was Klaus still outside?

Suddenly, Damon breathed a sigh of relief. His face softened to its usual look and he bent down to look at her. "Elena, I'm so sorry about that. Klaus is gone. Please, will you let me explain?" His dreamy blue eyes begged for her to understand, and she nodded slowly.

Damon helped her up onto the leather couch. "Elena, I know you're confused. But there's something I have to tell you." His eyes bored into hers, and she bit her lip nervously.

"Okay..." She whispered.

"Listen, Elena. You should know...you should know that it's against the law for me to treat you the way I do."

There was a long silence, and Elena stared at him in confusion. What did he mean, 'treat you the way I do'? "I don't understand." She said softly, and he sighed in frustration, running his hands through his dark hair.

"Look. It's against the law for vampires to treat human slaves with respect. You're not supposed to own things. You're supposed to be meaningless. I've broken the law. You own a bedroom, and you own numerous posessions. I feed you properly. I try to treat you well. Do you see what I'm getting at?"

Elena nodded slowly. "You mean...you're supposed to treat me like a slave."

He nodded, choosing to stay stilent. He knew Elena wouldn't like this, not one bit. "By doing these things, I'm putting you at risk every single day. If the authorities found out...Elena, you'd be as good as dead." He watched her swallow nervously, taking in all the new information.

"So...that's why you had to act like you did?"

"Yes. Klaus could easily report us - I mean, he has every reason to hate us both. I knew that if he refused to see me torture you, that it meant he believed my act. Klaus is not a patient man - he'd be bored watching that. But if he said yes, it would mean he didn't beliveve the act. It would mean he'd want to stay and see it happen for himself. I knew it was a risk to offer him that, but I also knew that it was the one statement that would convince him that I treated you like a slave."

"And what if it hadn't?" Elena whispered. "What if he hadn't believed you?"

Damon swallowed. "Then I would have fought to make sure you were safe."

There was a long pause, before she finally dared to ask him the one thing she'd been worried the most about. "You...you said you were going to...to kill me."

"I know that scared you, Elena. And I'm sorry. But I had to make him believe me."

She nodded. Although he'd been very convincing when he'd said the actual words to Klaus, a part of her had known that he would never actually hurt her like that. She took a deep breath. "Promise me that you'd never actually do that." She whispered.

Damon took her hand in his. "I promise, Elena. You know I would never do that."

She wished that this wasn't happening. That her body wasn't responding to his touch. But it was. As he caressed her hand lightly, she felt her heartbeat pick up and flutter. She blushed as she realised that Damon could hear the rate pick up, and watched as his eyebrows raised in amusement. But no matter what she did, Elena couldn't tear her eyes away from his. The colour of his eyes was too striking; too bold to look away from.

So she squeezed his hand gently back. "But Damon...what if Klaus comes back? Do you really believe he'll just...give up trying to kill me?"

Damon pondered over this. He knew Klaus probably hadn't forgiven them yet. After all, he _had _staked Klaus - and the original was known for holding long-lasting grudges. Still...

"Elena, in Klaus's eyes, you're just a slave. I'm sure he'll forget about this soon enough."

"But Damon, you told Klaus you were going to _kill _me. What happens when he finds out that I'm not dead?"

The raven-haired vampire gritted his teeth. He knew she'd automatically be worried about this, and to tell the truth, he was too. She had a point. "Then I'll tell him I decided to keep you. But he'll still have to believe that I treat you cruelly."

Elena nodded slowly, taking all the information in. She sighed, running a hand through her hair. Her life had become so complicated, so suddenly. At first she'd just been Damon's slave, just a girl trying to survive under her master's clutches. But something between her and Damon had changed, and she couldn't figure it out. Was it possible that she cared about him in return? It was all too confusing. And to make it worse, suddenly, the oldest vampire in the world seemed to want to kill her. And she desperately _wanted _to believe Damon when he said things would be fine, but after Klaus had kidnapped her...how could she?

"Damon?"

His eyes shot up to meet hers. "Mmm?"

"Why do slaves have to be treated with such cruelty?"

He sighed. "Elena, listen. It's similiar to the way you were raised to hate _vampires. _Ever since I transitioned, every vampire I've ever come across has made it extremely clear that humans are just supposed to be food to us. Toys. A means to an end. We take them as our slaves and play with them. That's the way it's meant to be."

Her lower lip wobbled. "But Klaus was trying to use my body as well."

"Like I said. Toying with humans is a vampire's favourite sport. We use their bodies for pleasure."

Her brows furrowed. "But...you didn't do that to me."

Damon hesitated. He should've known that she would ask him this eventually. Why _hadn't _he claimed her body yet? Most masters did that to their slaves. He himself had done it to a few of his other servants. But why hadn't he done it to her? She was strikingly beautiful, after all. "No, I didn't."

"Why?" She whispered.

"Because I didn't want to do that to you. Elena...you're so _young. _You're still a child. You're seventeen years old, and you're completely innocent. You're a virgin. You're pure. Something about me forcefully taking that one thing away from you seemed wrong in too many ways, and I just couldn't do that."

"And if I wasn't a virgin?"

"I still wouldn't have done it." Damon answered. He wondered who Elena would eventually lose her virginity to. A tiny part of him hoped that in the end, it would be him that got to claim her innocence. When he'd first met Elena, he'd automatically known that the girl was pure and light and innocent. But finding out that she was a virgin had only added to that innocence, making it impossible for him to take that away from her.

"I'm glad." She murmured, looking down at their joined hands once more.

Damon cleared his throat. "You should, uh, rest. You went through a lot today."

Elena nodded, making a move to get up. He grabbed her wrist.

"Actually, I'd prefer it if you stayed in here, all right? You can rest on the couch." The truth was, Damon knew he should let her go to her bedroom. He wasn't going to leave her alone, obviously, given Klaus _could _come back, but he couldn't go into her bedroom. If he did...her scent would be overpowering and he'd end up doing something that was wrong. Or was supposed to be wrong.

Elena looked a little confused. She wanted to ask him why he didn't just go to her bedroom with her, but decided to brush it aside. She settled back down on the couch, laying her head on a throw pillow and tugging a black blanket that sat on one of the arms over her body.

To her surprise, Damon settled on the end of the couch, placing her feet in his lap. She looked up, and he gave her a reassuring smile.

Damon watched as her eyes flickered around the room. He gritted his teeth. If Elena spoke again...if he heard her beautiful, sweet voice once more...he swore he wasn't going to be able to control himself around her any longer. It was too much. The scent of her blood, her smell, the sound of her voice...

"Damon?" Her sweet voice broke him out of his thoughts, and he cursed himself for not just sending her to his room. "Do you mind if I read a book for a bit?"

"No. Elena, you need sleep." He bit out.

She looked disappointed. "But-"

"NOW." He growled, and she bit her lip. Why was he suddenly so angry with her? His eyes softened, and he knew that she probably thought he was mad at her. Oh, it was the complete opposite. He was angry at himself.

"Just sleep." He urged, and she shut her eyes reluctantly. She sighed. What a confusing day. She hoped Damon was right about Klaus not coming back, because if he did...it would be too much. She didn't want to ever have to see that man - or devil - again.

Damon listened in silence as the room grew quiet, and her breathing eventually evened out, signalling that she was asleep. Allowing himself a moment's weakness, he trailed his fingers lightly across her cheek, then brought them to his nose and inhaled her scent.

About an hour later, he set _Call Of The Wild _down and glanced at her as she stirred in his sleep. He should probably move her - the couch wasn't exactly the most comfortable place to sleep.

Gathering the sleeping girl in his arms, Damon carried her - still wrapped in the blankets - down the numerous hallways that led to her bedroom. He pushed the door open and carried her over to her bed, peeling back the covers and setting her down. As Damon tucked the covers around her, he decided it would probably be best _not _to stay. He'd end up doing something he was supposed to regret.

Still...he couldn't just leave her in here. What if Klaus came back? He sighed, settling down in a chair next to her bed and watching her.

She'd been here two months exactly today. And two months ago, he would've laughed in her beautiful face as Klaus tortured her.

Oh, how things changed.

**(A/N: Oh, believe me, they're not done with Klaus. Next chapter...just, yikes.)**

* * *

**March 4th (8 days later)**

Damon sighed. "Elena, I know you're scared, but I'll only be gone a few hours. I promise you, nothing will happen." He'd just told her that he was going out for a few hours to feed - he'd run out of bloodbags, but he didn't want to risk going to the village to buy more in case Klaus was there. Meaning his only option was to speed over to the nearest human town and grab a bite to eat. Yes, quite literally a 'bite'.

Not that he'd told Elena that, of course.

"Are you sure you can't wait till morning to see him?" Elena asked, her lower lip wobbling.

That was the cover story Damon had made up: he was going to see an old friend. He stared guiltily at her. He felt terrible about leaving her alone, but he couldn't exactly bring her to watch him kill people, could he? And if he didn't eat tonight...it would probably be her that ended up getting hurt. He'd told her that his 'friend' didn't have a daylight ring like him, which is why he had to meet him at this time of night. The truth was, the reason he was going to feed so late was because he'd tried to convince himself it was okay all day. When he finally had, it was past five, but he couldn't wait till the next morning.

Damon shook his head. "Elena, I'm sorry, I can't. It's been 8 days. You'll be fine, I swear!"

"O-okay."

He sighed, tucking the covers further around her as she curled up on the bed. It was late at night, and not the best time to leave her. Still...he had to feed.

"Listen. Just go to sleep. When you wake up in the morning, I promise I'll be right here, alright?"

She nodded, but still looked nervous.

Damon inwardly groaned again. She was making him feel _so damn guilty. _"Alright, how about this? Set your alarm to 3 AM - when you wake up then, I swear, I'll be right here on the bed with you. Would that make you feel better? Then you'll know that I'll be in the house with you, and you'll be able to go back to sleep."

She nodded again, and he carefully set her alarm for 3 AM.

"Okay. I'll see you in a few hours then." Damon gave her hand a gentle squeeze, reaching for the light. He flipped it off, and she jumped.

She flipped it back on instantly, and he caught her hand. "Please let me keep it on." She pleaded. Damon shook his head.

"No. Elena, it's been over a week now, and you're still sleeping with the light on. The only way you're going to move past this is if you stop being scared. You know I'm not doing this to scare you, right? It's to help you."

Reluctantly, she closed her mouth. Damon flipped the light off again, and she shivered as the room plunged into blackness. A warm hand rubbed her arm comfortingly. She forced her muscles to relax and watched as he let go of her and strode out the door.

"Goodnight, Elena. I'll see you soon." He promised, locking the door behind him. Elena turned over in the bed and pulled the covers over her head, trying to ignore the fact that she'd be all alone for hours.

* * *

_Elena let out another scream as Damon slapped her across the face - hard. The sound of his palm hitting her cheek richocheted across the room, sending her into another round of sobbing._

_"Ugh." Damon sneered. "Don't you ever stop crying?"_

_"P-please..." She begged, shaking her head desperately as he slammed her against the wall roughly._

_"If you ever forget one of your chores again, I will kill you." Damon snarled. His hand wrapped around her throat in a bruising grip, lifting her high up on the wall. She choked and tried to pry his hand from her neck, but he only tightened his grip._

_Damon dragged her across the room, his hands pulling harshly at the rope that kept her hands bound together. "Undress." He growled._

_"NO!"_

_He pushed her down on the floor and she slipped underneath him, sobbing as he ripped away at her dress. He bent down to whisper in her ear. "I told you I didn't believe in rape, didn't I?"_

_She nodded weakly, still silently crying._

_"Well if you keep pushing me, I might just break that belief. Don't ever disappoint me again." He rolled off at her and she curled up in a ball. He'd just done that to scare her. And it had worked._

_She watched in terror as his fangs slid out, and he wrenched her head back, waiting for her sobs to stop. When they didn't, he slapped her again and then dug his fangs into her throat, pinning her down as she thrashed in pain beneath him._

Elena's eyes shot open and she let out a scream, shooting straight up in bed and gasping. She shook her head, trying to clear her mind of the terrible nightmare.

No, no, no...

That did not just happen. It couldn't have. She hadn't been scared of Damon in over a month now. There was no way that she'd just had a nightmare about him hurting her.

Something wasn't right. This wouldn't have happened if everything was fine. Something was _wrong. _

But what?

"Elena?" A concerned voice asked, and she looked up. Damon was back. Thank god.

"You're back!" She blurted.

He nodded. "Yeah. But...I thought I set your alarm for 3 AM. It's 2:55...you shouldn't be awake for another five minutes. Did something wake you up?"

"No." She lied. "I...I just couldn't sleep. I was worried you weren't coming back."

So he hadn't heard her scream. Good. He didn't need to find out about this, it would only worry and confuse him. And neither of them needed that, not right now. In an instant, Elena decided not to tell him about the nightmare. It wouldn't do anyone any good.

Damon sighed. "Of course I came back. I told you I would." He slipped into the bed next to her, wrapping his arms around her torso. Elena leaned into him, her body instantly relaxing.

Bu her mind...oh, her mind couldn't keep thinking about the terrible dream she'd just had. How could she have dreamt of that?

* * *

**March 7th (3 days later)**

It had been a week, and there'd been no signs of Klaus. No threats, no appearances...nothing. It was like he'd never been mad at them at all. But he had, and he could still come back.

Elena had tried to make things normal again. Damon still refused to make her do duties, so she spent her days lounging in her bedroom, reading in his library, or staring hopelessly out the window.

Which was what she was doing now. Elena sighed as she let her hand trail down the glass of water on her bedside table, wondering if Damon would ever let her go outside again. Everytime she mentioned the subject, he'd tell her that it was still too dangerous and risky. At this point, she really didn't care. She just wanted to go _outside._

There was nothing else to do. She'd spent a little time with Damon in the past week - silently reading with him in the library and begging him to let her outside - but other than that, he'd remained in his study and lounge. As always. She still couldn't figure out why he seemed to try and avoid her. Was he fighting his so-called feelings of 'care' towards her?

She rolled over in bed, glancing at the clock. 2:11 AM. The early hours of March the 7th. She didn't know why she was finding it so impossible to sleep, especially since she _felt _so tired.

Elena sighed. Suddenly, she shot straight up in bed as the familiar sound of footsteps echoed outside. She stared hard at the door. What did Damon want?

The footsteps came closer, and there was a full, agonizing minute of silence. What in hell?

Then the knob turned, and the door creaked as it swung open. She froze in place. A dark shape slipped into the room, locking the door behind it and turning to face her.

What was Damon doing? What...

It wasn't Damon. But it _had _to be. And yet she knew it wasn't.

Oh god.

There was someone in her room. An intruder. And as her eyes met the icy gaze of the evil man standing at the foot of her bed, she knew she was doomed.

Elena wanted nothing more than to scream for Damon, but her muscles felt locked in place and so she sat frozen against her headboard, a tiny squeak of terror pushing past her lips.

"P-please d-don't h-hurt m-me..."

His smirk curved upwards. "But then what else would I do to you?"

"N-no..." She backed away further, but soon he was looming over her. Horror filled Elena's eyes as she realized what he held in his hands: a knife, sharper than any she'd ever seen before.

She knew what was coming next. Elena screamed 'Damon!' just as Klaus drove the knife deep into her stomach, and she made a choking sound. She collapsed back in her pillows, writhing, and watched as he flashed out the window beside her bed, leaving it wide open.

It took Elena a moment to process what had happened. She stared in shock down at her stomach, watching as dark red soaked through her white camisole and stained the sheets around her. Oh god, there was blood everywhere.

On her hands, her sheets, her camisole, her body...even droplets on her face that had splattered onto her olive skin when he'd stabbed her.

The window was still open, the lavendar-coloured curtains fluttering in the wind. Blood was falling from her lips, filling her mouth and choking her. She couldn't breathe. She _couldn't _breathe.

She briefly remembered calling for someone earlier. But who? Whose name had she screamed?

And then the door burst open and Damon burst in, cradling her in his arms. "Elena? What's wrong? Are you alright?"

_Are you insane? _She wanted to scream. _You're a vampire! Can't you smell it, see it? Can't you? _

"Elena?" He repeated, and she made a choking sound as more blood pooled in her mouth. He stared down at her worriedly, stroking her cheek. But wasn't that where the blood was?

"K-Klaus...stab...stomach..." She gasped, trying to breathe through her nose as her hands remained curled on the knife lodged in her stomach.

Damon's gaze flitted down to her hands. Why was she holding something invisible against her stomach? "Elena, I think you had a bad dream. It's time to wake up, sweetheart."

"Klaus stabbed me!" She shouted, and then froze. Wait. How did she shout that? She couldn't talk, there was supposed to be blood in her mouth!

"Elena, Klaus isn't here."

Her gaze shot down to stare at her stomach, and she gasped. Her camisole was as pure-white as ever. There was no blood staining it, no knife cutting through it. She glanced around. The silk sheets were still clean and folded neatly, not stained with crimson red. She looked up to the open window, but it was locked and shut tightly, just as it was every night.

"But..." Her gaze connected with Damon's concerned one, and he arched an eyebrow, confused. What was going on? Just 30 seconds ago, she'd seen the blood staining her body and sheets, felt the pain as the knife cut into her abdomen, seen Klaus escape through the open window.

But there was no blood, no open window, no knife.

Meaning it hadn't happened. But it hadn't been a dream, she knew it. Then what had it been?

Was she going insane?

* * *

**Review if you want to see the next chapter!**

**Sooo... is Elena going insane? Is she losing her mind? Why did she have that dream about Damon? What's going on with her dreams? Questions, questions, questions!**

**Top 3 Review Awards: MuzekWriter, StarfishOnTheBeach, and Annie boleyn ;) And of course the permanent award to VintageBeautyX. My dream is to make it to 1000 reviews, lol. **

**And I got Tumblr, although I already mentioned that: I'm DelenaRain and I'm a DE Blog of course ;) Help me get to my next hundred for followers? :D Also, if SE shippers are bugging you about the fact that Damon didn't fight the compulsion in 4x11, check out my post about that. **

**Also, what was your favourite scene this chapter?**

**~DelenaRain**


	15. Day 81, Day 86, Day 87

**Hi everyone...**

**I want to start off by apologizing. Over the past few months I've received many reviews begging me to continue and I'm beyond sorry for making you all wait so long. Truth be told, I had a terrible case of writer's block. Then, exams started, and homework and studying piled up, and then I was in Hawaii for 3 weeks...and I honestly don't have much of an excuse. I've also been running my Tumblr and Instagram Delena accounts, so that kept me busy. Anyways, the good news: I have the rest of the story planned out and the next few chapters written. I'm literally writing more every day, and I'm having one of those great weeks where I can't stop coming up with ideas. So, no more waiting for updates! Like I said, the next few chapters are already ready! I'm planning to update every 3 days :)**

**Hope you'll still enjoy the story...**

* * *

_**Previously:**_

_"But..." Her gaze connected with Damon's concerned one, and he arched an eyebrow, confused. What was going on? Just 30 seconds ago, she'd seen the blood staining her body and sheets, felt the pain as the knife cut into her abdomen, seen Klaus escape through the open window._

_But there was no blood, no open window, no knife._

_Meaning it hadn't happened. But it hadn't been a dream, she knew it. Then what had it been?_

_Was she going insane?_

* * *

**March 14th (1 week later)**

Damon had to admit it. He wasn't an easy person to hurt. For him, it was easy to block things out, to put up his walls and not let anything - or _anyone _- get under his skin. Which was why he found it shocking that the sight of the crying girl in his arms made his heart ache so badly. Or, maybe it wasn't so surprising it. After all, it _was _Elena.

"Hey, hey." He rocked her in his arms.

"You don't believe me, do you?" Her doe eyes stared up at him, tears evident in them.

"You know I do. I'm just trying to tell you that it didn't really happen. It was just a dream."

She sniffled, scooting closer to him in the bed as he pulled the covers up over her.

"Now, are you going to tell me what tonight's nightmare was about?"

She shook her head, closing her eyes for a moment. She didn't want to tell Damon, and she had a good reason. The dream, just like the one a week or so ago, had involved her and Damon. This time, they were in his bedroom. She'd been pinned underneath him, unable to do anything as...

"Elena. Fess up."

She swallowed. "I...it was just a flashback to the night Klaus kidnapped me. It felt as if I was relieving it, that's why it scared me so much."

He studied her for a moment, then nodded with a sigh. Relief flooded through her. He believed her. She didn't want Damon to know about the dreams that involved him. At the moment, they were quickly developing a growing bond, spending time together each day and growing closer. She didn't want to destroy that by reminding Damon of the way he'd once acted towards her. Which is why it had to be kept a secret.

"You should get some sleep." He sighed, flicking her shade off once again and leaning back on the pillows, his hand still in hers. She lay back down as well, closing her eyes as she tried to forget about the horrifying dream.

She didn't know what to do. Eventually, Damon would figure out that the dreams were involving him. He wasn't stupid. And she needed to make them stop before then.

The question was, what was causing them?

* * *

**March 19th (5 days later)**

"What's that?" Elena looked up from her book. It was a rainy day, and she and Damon had spent the day inside, reading in the library. Damon had gone over to his desk, where a slave had just dropped off an envelope.

"Nothing." He tore the white envelope open, pulling out a sheet of paper and scanning it over. She stood up, letting the book fall onto the leather sofa she'd been reclining on.

"Why can't I know?"

Damon rolled his eyes, placing the paper in the pocket of his jeans. "Last I checked, Elena, I called the shots, not the other way around."

"But that's not a reason." She said defiantly, folding her arms across her chest.

He chuckled, shaking his head at her bravery and stubbornness. He'd noticed a change in Elena the last few weeks. Despite the nightmares, during the day, she had become a lot more confident. He secretly hoped it was because she was starting to trust him.

"Alright." He pulled the sheet out of his pocket, holding it out to her. "But you're not gonna like it."

She took it from him, her doe eyes scanning over the perfectly-printed sheet of paper. He watched them widen.

"What...what in the..."

"There's a slave auction in a town not too far from here. Since you, uh, are not exactly expected to do your duties anymore, I need to get someone to replace you."

She masked the disgust in her eyes quickly. "So...are you going to this thing tomorrow? To _buy_ someone?"

He nodded.

"Then I'm coming with you."

He rolled his eyes. "Don't be ridiculous, Elena."

"Damon, please." She had to go. He may think she wanted to go as a reason to leave the house, but she had a reason of her own to go. She needed to stop him. When they got there, she'd convince him not to buy a slave. Because they were _people_. And Damon would never admit it, but he'd changed a lot from the man she'd met on Christmas Eve.

His expression, however, didn't change, and she groaned.

"Will Klaus be there?"

He shook his head. "It's a small town selling. Klaus gets his slaves from only the best."

"Then what's to worry about?" She said impatiently.

"Someone could see you."

"Of course someone will see me, people aren't blind. But it won't be Klaus, or anyone that knows I'm not supposed to be alive. Please, Damon?"

"I don't want to have to do what I did last time." His blue eyes looked traumatized.

"What?"

"You remember what you had to wear the last time I took you out in public."

Elena's mind flashed to the day they'd gone into town - the same day Klaus had kidnapped her. Puzzled, she scanned though her memories of that day until realizing exactly what he was talking about. The things Damon had brought out of the black bag. The collar he'd made her wear.

She took a deep breath. "You can put that on me. Just please let me come." She had to go. She had to convince him that buying people was _wrong_. And now that she'd had the idea, she felt as if it was her duty to stop him.

He studied her. Why on earth would she want to come? He'd thought watching him buy people would've been the last thing she'd want to do tomorrow.

He watched her lips form a pout and her doe eyes shimmer up at him, then groaned inwardly. He was going to have to make it a rule that she couldn't use that face on him.

"Fine. Alright. You can come. But we're going to be as discreet as possible, okay? I won't make you wear the collar if you promise not to draw attention to yourself. Don't freak out when they bring the people out on stage, or have a panic attack when you hear people yelling out prices. Understood?"

"It's a deal." She nodded at him, silently holding back her disgust at the thought of what had once happened to her - being sold like an animal - happening to other people as well. People who could even be younger than her.

He nodded, disappearing out the door into the corridor. Elena stared down at the sheet of paper, her hand trembling slightly as she once again read it over.

* * *

**March 20th (the next day)**

"What in god's name are you _wearing_?"

Elena jumped in surprise, the voice startling her. She spun, only to find Damon leaning against the doorframe of her bedroom, his eyes narrowed at her.

"Damon! Will you please wait outside? I'm trying to pick an outfit!"

"Well you're sure as hell not wearing that." He stared her over. Elena was wearing a lacy black shirt that he could literally _see _through, a miniature, far too short violet-coloured skirt, lacy black tights underneath, and black heeled wedges.

"What?" She stared at him in confusion.

"You're not wearing that in public. At a private dinner with me? I'd adore it. But in a public place filled with vampires? Find another outfit, Elena."

"_What_?"

"Elena, I can see your freaking bra through that shirt. And the skirt barely covers your a-"

"Damon!" She flushed. "I'm wearing a bandeau, okay? It's a style! You're supposed to be able to see it. And the skirt isn't that sho-"

"Elena, I can see your a-"

"Okay, okay!" She huffed angrily, slipping off the boots. "And I suppose you think these are too _provocative_ to wear outside as well?"

"Like I said. Valentines Day dinner? I'd rejoice. Outing in a town filled with vampires? Definitely not."

Elena crossed her arms over her chest, and he had to hold back laughter at her red face. She was so cute when she was mad.

"Elena, most of the vampires will be men, and I don't exactly feel comfortable with them gawking at you all day and staring at your breasts, which they will, honey. That shirt is completely see-through."

She glared at him. The fact that he'd now brought her _breasts_ into this conversation was making her seriously uncomfortable.

"Fine. I'll change." She slammed the door in his face, leaving him glaring at the white wood outside in the hall.

* * *

**(A few hours later)**

"I'm still surprised that you wanted to come."

Elena shrugged. "Any chance to get out of the house."

Damon sighed, shaking his head at her stubbornness. His eyes ran over her again. He loved the new outfit she'd picked out for today. A black jean jacket, and a dark blue dress that flared out at the waist and came down to her mid-thighs. She'd kept the black boots from that morning, but he found himself actually liking them with the new outfit. He'd noticed that in the past few weeks, her style had also. become increasingly more confident - definitely confirmed by this morning. Still, it surprised him that she was wearing such a form-fitting outfit into a town of vampires. This one, however, he approved of.

He knew it was risky, bringing her into a town filled with vampires, even if it was a small, unknown one. Elena was beautiful, and he knew if she didn't behave normally, she would attract a fair amount of attention.

If she stayed by his side at all times and listened to him, hopefully know one would notice that her blood had a distinct smell to everyone else's. Hopefully.

But he didn't want to keep her inside all the time. It had been weeks now since Klaus had shown up at the manor, and Damon knew he couldn't just keep her cooped up in the house all the time.

As the carriage rolled to a stop, Elena turned to him.

"You didn't bring it."

"Bring what?"

"The black bag."

He swallowed, realizing what she was talking about.

"No, I didn't. I thought we had a deal - no collar in exchange for no acting out."

"Right." She stood up, and Damon stared at her uneasily. It was the first time that he was unable to read her expression. She didn't look angry, sad, happy, or even relieved. It made him uncomfortable, not knowing how she was feeling. They could usually both read each other so well.

He sighed. "Okay. Now, take my arm. Do not let go of it unless I tell you. We can't draw attention to ourselves, otherwise it will be far too easy for people to focus on you, and figure out you're human. Stay close to me, don't let your eyes linger on anyone, and don't talk to a single person. Understood?"

She recognized the firm voice he was using as the one he used when he wanted to make it clear that he was in control. She'd heard it many times before, the most recent one being this morning when he'd gotten all protective about her original outfit.

"I understand." Her voice was hard, and she turned for the door of the carriage.

"Elena." He caught her arm, their eyes connecting. "I'm sorry."

She stared at him blankly.

"I don't want us to be mad at each other today. I'm sorry about this morning, with the clothes. That was uncalled for."

Elena bit her lip, but didn't look away from his gaze. Damon's apology had truly seemed sincere.

"Thanks." She whispered. "I don't want to be in a fight either."

He smiled slightly. "Okay. Then let's get going."

She took his arm hesitantly, watching as he swung the carriage door open and helped her outside. She looked around. This town didn't seem as busy as the first one they'd been to, all those weeks ago. There were people - _vampires_, of course - but it wasn't crowded. There were few shops, and far down the middle, she could see a small town square with a wooden stage set up in the middle. She shivered.

_Elena shivered as the cold wind bit into her skin, combined with the burning ropes tied tightly around her wrists. She stared out into the crowd, her eyes filled with tears._

_Every eye was on her. They were shooting her all kinds of looks - disgusted ones, curious ones, uninterested ones, judging ones...and she hated it. She should've expected this; she should've known how horrible this whole ordeal would turn out to be._

_She felt like an animal. Nothing like a human._

_She listened with fear as the man with the microphone asked for bidders. So this was it. She would now find out who was going to pay money to take her home as a slave._

_Prices were called out, growing higher with each new voice._

_300...500...700...1200...1600..._

_Sixteen-hundred? Someone would pay that much for her? How did people get this type of money? _

_After her parents' death - and they'd been poor to begin with - she was left with virtually nothing but the clothes on her back and the few real possessions she owned. Things like her books, paints, diaries, notebooks, and a few extra clothes. _

_Well, and her locket. The beautiful, heart- shaped golden piece of jewellery that lay around her neck was worth thousands of dollars. It was an old family heirloom, something far too precious to her parents for them to sell. She knew she should've - then maybe she and Bonnie would be living a better life - but she just couldn't. It was the last memory of her family she had left._

_A memory she would be touching right now, if her hands weren't bound together at her waist._

_"Sold!" A voice shouted, causing her to jump. Oh, no. Not smart. She hadn't even been paying attention - how was she supposed to know who'd bought her now? Was it the man who'd called out 1600? The one with the brown eyes and dark hair?_

_The next moments were a blur. She was pulled off the stage and roughly shoved into an alley, where a cart was waiting. But who'd bought her?_

_She could make out two shapes speaking in the shadows at the end of the alley. One must've been the driver, and the other...the man who'd bought her? She could only hear brief fragments of their quick conversation._

_"Christmas present...want her delivered...you know the address.." They were the only words she could make out. Hold on, so she was now being transported to someone else? She'd been bought as a Christmas Present?_

_Her thoughts were interrupted by the driver roughly shoving her into the back of the cart, then shutting it and bolting it as he went around to the front. He'd locked her in a box - a box on the back of the cart._

_Tears ran down her cheeks as she shifted in the darkness, her only light source being small cracks in the roof of the box. He'd shackled her to the wall, cool metal handcuffs encircling her already red, bruised, and bound wrists. It was the same with her ankles._  
_She struggled for a moment, losing hope quickly as the shackles and ropes held her in place._

_There was no escape. Her fate was set_.

"Elena? Are you alright?" Damon looked down at her, concerned.

She looked up in a daze. "What? Oh!"

She'd been so lost in the horrifying memory of December 23rd that she hadn't even realized he'd let her into the crowd gathered by the stage.

"I-I'm okay. Just...memories."

"It's alright. You're safe with me." He rubbed soothing circles into the back of her hand, trying not to draw attention to them. It was noisy enough that no one would overhear.

"What was the memory?"

"I think you can guess." Elena whispered.

He winced. Yes, he could. Given their current location, it was pretty obvious she'd been remembering the day she'd been in a village much like this, being sold as a slave herself.

"You're okay. Everything's fine. That's not happening to you again, I promise."

Elena held on to his warm arm tighter, his closeness comforting to her. She watched in disgust as a young girl with red hair was forced up on stage.

"She's not bad looking." Damon murmured.

"So get her." She swallowed. This was part of her plan. If she could convince Damon to buy someone, then, as they drove back, she'd plead with him to let them out of the carriage and let them go. They'd be safer off on their own then here, where they'd surely be sold.

"You're...enthusiastic." He watched her carefully.

"I just want this over and done with. Then maybe we can go in the shops."

He eyed her. "Ah. So that's why you were so eager to come."

Elena shrugged. He was falling for it. Now, if he would just make up his mind already and choose...

Five minutes later, Elena was beginning to grow impatient. Many people had been sold by now, and yet Damon had seemed uninterested in every single one of them. She watched as a blonde girl with her hair in a bun was brought out, and tugged on Damon's arm.

"How about this one?" She whispered. He looked down with a smirk.

"Elena, I'm pretty sure that it's _my_ job to pick out new slaves." He raised his eyebrows in amusement at her, causing a light pink blush to spread through her cheeks.

"But alright." He sighed. "This is getting a little tiring anyway."

They both stopped to listen for a moment, hearing more and more people call out prices.

300..400..

"Okay. We'll get her." Damon whispered in her ear. She nodded.

"600." She felt Damon's chest rumble beneath her hand as he called out the number. When no one spoke after him, the man to the side of the stage announced that the girl was sold.

Elena was surprised. Someone had payed sixteen-hundred for her, and yet no one was willing to pay more than _six _hundred for the blonde on stage?

She could feel Damon's eyes on her, and so she turned her face up to look at him.

"What is it?" He asked. She bit her lip.

"It's just...someone payed sixteen-hundred for me." She said quietly. "That's a thousand more than what the final price for this girl was."

Damon's eyes burned into hers. "Beautiful girls are worth a lot more."

Elena's cheeks reddened at his words, realizing he had just subtly told her she was beautiful.

"O-Oh." She stuttered. "I didn't realize it depended on...looks."

"Although," Damon continued, his eyes never leaving hers, "I completely disagree with your...uh, selling price. I would've payed thousands just to get my hands on you." He was careful with his words, being sure he wouldn't offend her.

Elena's cheeks were scarlet by now, she was sure of it. "I-thank you."

Damon sighed, rubbing the back of his head. "Sorry. Not the best way to flirt with a girl, probably."

She raised her chin. Flirt? If he wanted to flirt, the least she could do was be mature about it and not act like a stuttering school girl. She arched an eyebrow at him.

"It wasn't so bad."

He chuckled at her words, then looked towards the wooden stage, where the girl he'd bought was being led down the stairs and towards him. Elena clutched at his arm tighter as the vampire holding the girl neared them.

"Your purchase, sir."

Damon pulled out a check and nodded at the man, who turned and headed back to the stage with the money in hand. She studied the girl, guilt and pity filling her eyes. The blonde was wearing a tattered old dress and no shoes.

Elena ducked her head, ashamed of the expensive outfit she was wearing. Sometimes it was easy to forget that not all slaves were treated the way Damon treated her.

She watched as Damon told the girl to follow him, and then turned with him, her arm still linked with his as she stared at the ground guiltily. Once upon a time, she'd been in the girl's position. Scared, lost and alone...only then she'd met Damon.

And now here she was.

"Do you want to go in the shops?" He asked her, his voice husky.

"Let's just go. I kind of want to get out of here." She lied, and he nodded, leading them back towards the carriage.

She breathed a sigh of relief when Damon allowed the girl to sit in the carriage with them - and not on the floor, but on a seat too. She, however, remained beside Damon, desperately racking her brain for ways she could convince him to let the girl go.

Most of the ride was silent, and Elena tried not to stare at the girl. She wondered if Damon would be treating the girl differently had she not come with him today.

As the trees by the side of the dirt road turned into woods, Elena realized they were taking a different route home than the way they'd come. The woods were denser here, and she almost found herself recognizing where they were for a moment.

The mass of trees suddenly ended, and a wrought iron fence came into her view. There was a tall spiralling gate too, and Elena's eyes widened as she read the words.

_•Fell's Church Cemetery - Est 1792•_

She knew exactly where they were.

This was where her parents were buried.

"Damon." She gasped, reaching for his hand. "S-stop the carriage."

"Elena?"

"Let me out." She stood up, instantly heading for the door. A warm hand encircled her wrist, pulling her back to his chest.

"Let you out?"

"Damon, I...we're in Fell's Church. This...this is my home."

There was a silence, and his hand slowly dropped from her wrist, freeing her from his grasp.

"This is the cemetery. My...my parents...my brother...they're buried here." Her eyes watered as they stared each other down, and he swallowed.

"Wait one minute." He whispered, then turned to the blonde girl, who was curled up on the seat, watching them through confused oak green eyes.

"Stay here." Damon told her, smelling the vervain in her. He would've compelled her, but vervain made that impossible. "Don't try to escape, you know I'll find you."

He stepped outside the carriage, and Elena followed. The only thing that mattered now was the people that lay 6 feet underground in the cemetery.

Her parents' and Jeremy's graves were in a small, sunlit section at the edge of the woods. Queen Anne's Lace grew all around the bushes, and Elena reached for some, laying a flower on each of the three graves, a single tear escaping her eye. She felt Damon's hand on her shoulder, and watched as he kneeled down beside her, his boots digging into the dirt as his blue orbs ran over the headstones.

"Hi Mom. Hi Dad." Elena whispered hoarsely, her hand curling around the man beside her's palm.

"I'm sorry I haven't visited in so long. I know it's been months - I think November was the last time I was here. Things got busy around the Orphanage at Christmas, and Bonnie and I couldn't risk sneaking out, even during the night. And then I turned 17...and...and everything changed."

She took a deep breath. "But I'm okay. It was hard, at first, being...being sold...but I met a man who took care of me."

She smiled at Damon through her tears. "We didn't get along at first, but we're friends now, and...I don't know what I'd do without him."

Damon's heart clenched at her words. He felt a warmth spread through him, a feeling he only ever got with Elena.

"And you, Jer." Elena whispered, tears staining her olive cheeks. "I miss you so much. I bet you're laughing. Somehow, I managed to rope a vampire into caring for me."

Damon chuckled, the sound warming her instantly and causing her to smile through her tears.

"I'll see you again one day." She promised tearily. "I have to go now though. I need to convince that vampire to do something for me."

She took a deep breath, turning away from the marble headstones to face the man who owned her.

"Damon...I want you to let the girl go."

"What?" His eyes widened.

"Please, Damon. For me."

"Elena, no. I just spent 600 dollars on her and I need her to replace you, plus I can't just let a slave go-"

"You can. I know it might be against the law but no one will ever find out. If anyone questions you, tell them that you killed her."

"I'm afraid I can't do that."

"No, you're afraid because you _can. _It just goes against your nature. And I get that, Damon, I do! But I'm asking you now, please just let her go." She scrubbed her quickly-drying tears off her face, gazing at him.

"Elena, don't be ridiculous. Stop this nonsense." He growled. "I can't just let a slave run off into the woods."

"Yes you can." She pleaded. "You can, Damon. She'll be safe. She'll get to the town of Fell's Church, where other humans live. Please."

"I don't think you understand what you're asking for." Damon hissed.

"Maybe not." She placed her hands against his chest, staring him directly in the eye. "But Damon, _please_. Just do this for me."

"She's a slave. I can't." Damon said firmly.

"So am I. But I know, that if I begged you right now to let me go, you would."

"Your imagination is running wild today, Elena." He shook his head at her, his blue eyes fiery.

"Is it? Because I think, that if I got down on my knees and begged, and cried, and sobbed for you to let me go, you would."

She could see it now, that seed of doubt planting itself in his mind. It was working.

Elena took his hands. "Put yourself in her shoes, Damon. Or put me there. She's scared. Lost. Afraid of the road ahead. So close to a human town and yet locked away in a carriage. How would you feel, Damon?"

"She's not even _wearing_ shoes." Damon said weakly.

She placed her hand on his jaw, knowing she'd gotten through to him with her words. "Please."

"I..."

"_Please_."

"Alright!" He threw his hands up. "Okay, I'll let her go. Fine."

Her eyes widened. It had WORKED?

"Thank you." She breathed. "Thank you, Damon."

He stomped back to the carriage, and she followed, her hand still entwined with his. She couldn't believe it had worked. Damon had made a good choice. He'd been a better man.

"You're free to go." Damon muttered, holding the door open for the blonde girl. She looked up at him, her eyes wide.

"I said, _go. _Run to the nearest town, it's very close. Just go. I'm setting you free."

In a flash, the girl was up on her feet and out of the carriage, sprinting down the dirt road towards freedom. Damon and Elena watched as her figure slowly faded into the shadows of the trees.

By the time the carriage started up, the silence was deafening. Neither said a word to each other on the long trip home. When Elena would stare out at the trees, Damon would watch her, and when Damon would stare out at the sky, Elena would watch him.

By the time they arrived home, it was sunset, and the sun was dipping low in the sky, the moon beginning to dance out from behind the clouds.

Damon walked her to her bedroom door, still not speaking. She sighed. This was getting ridiculous.

"You're mad." She said quietly. He nodded.

"Damon, I-"

"Not at you." He finally looked up at her, blue melting into brown once more after hours of avoiding each others' gazes. "At myself."

"Oh." She stared at him, confused. "You're not mad at me?"

He sighed, running a hand through his hair. "No, Elena, I'm not. But it's...complicated."

"I know."

"No, you don't." He shook his head at her. "You don't know what would happen if anyone found out about what I did today. Letting that girl go was against the law."

"But you still did it." She whispered.

"Only for you."

And then he was gone, the wind caused by his sudden disappearance cooling her off after the stuffy ride in the carriage. She stepped inside, her brows furrowing as she closed the door and shrugged off her jacket. Another riddle for her to figure out, perfect.

* * *

Inside his study, Damon was sitting at his desk, his hand curling into a fist as he crushed the sheet of paper from yesterday in his palm.

_Damn it._

Elena. She was...she was changing him, in ways he could barely explain. Into a better person. Into someone that cared. Into a person that no longer killed mercilessly, but instead thought about his actions carefully.

He slammed his fist on the desk.

And his feelings for her were changing too.

* * *

**Well, Damon definitely has a lot on his mind. Hope you guys enjoyed some of the Delena moments! The next chapter is all fluff and romance...until the end. Yikes. Delena have some major angst coming up...**

**I don't know about this chapter, I don't think it was my best. What did you guys think? I'm proud of the next one though. **

**Review to see the next chapter!**

**~DelenaRain**


	16. Day 99

**Thank you so much to everyone who kept reading and reviewing! I love you guys :) Enjoy this chapter! There's a lot of Delena romance coming up...followed by some MAJOR angst at the end. Enjoy! **

* * *

_**Previously:**_

_Inside his study, Damon was sitting at his desk, his hand curling into a fist as he crushed the sheet of paper from yesterday in his palm._

_Damn it._

_Elena. She was...she was changing him, in ways he could barely explain. Into a better person. Into someone that cared. Into a person that no longer killed mercilessly, but instead thought about his actions carefully._

_He slammed his fist on the desk._

_And his feelings for her were changing too._

* * *

**April 1st (12 days later)**

"Honestly, Damon, I'm fine." Elena repeated, slipping out of the bed and heading for her closet. He turned with her, his eyebrows still raised with concern as he watched her search through her closet for something to wear.

"I slept fine." She assured him. "No bad dreams or anything."

It had been 3 or so weeks since Elena had dreamt that Klaus had attacked her, and Damon was still worrying. Ever since Klaus had come a few weeks ago, he'd refused to leave her alone for longer than a few hours. And the fact that she'd had a bad dream again last week wasn't helping anything. When she woke up every morning, Damon would always be sitting in the chair in the corner, his eyes trained on her worriedly.

"You don't have to spend the night in here anymore." She told him, pulling open the curtains to let some light in.

Damon crossed his arms over his chest. "I didn't. I came in at about 5 in the morning to find you thrashing around in your bed, Elena."

She sighed. The truth was that she kept having bad dreams, and she didn't know what to do about it. But telling Damon would only make him worry more, and she didn't need that.

Damon's deep blue eyes trailed over the sunlight streaming in from the window. Maybe it was time he let her leave the house again. Even after last week's outing, he'd constantly been worried that Klaus would snatch her the moment she stepped outside - after all, she was supposed to be dead. But maybe that was what she needed. Some fresh air. A day outside.

"Get dressed." He told her, striding towards the door. "I think it's time you left the grounds again. Meet me at the front door in half an hour, alright?"

"What?" Elena turned to face him, a confused look covering her face.

"Get dressed."

"But I thought-"

"Get dressed, Elena." He shut the door, taking deep breaths as he walked down the hallway. He'd heard her barely-audible sigh when he'd told her she'd been thrashing in her bed that morning. Was she hiding something? Were the dreams continuing? The problem was that Elena tended to keep these things to herself, and it made it hard to look after her.

There was a spot he thought would be good to take her to. Out by the falls - where he'd grown up. It was only a few miles from here, and wouldn't take long to get to. Yes, he'd take her there for the day. Now, all he needed was a picnic blanket and some food...

* * *

Half an hour later, Damon sat by the front door, impatiently waiting for her to appear. He'd ordered a few servants to take the food out to the carriage and hide it, along with the picnic blanket and-

_Shit._

His mouth ran dry as her beautiful figure emerged from around the corner. She was clad in a small, white dress - casual enough for the day, but beautiful enough to make her look like a snowflake. Her hair was in curls today; falling down her back in long spirals. The collar of the dress dipped down right between her breasts, and he gritted his teeth, forcing his eyes back up to her face.

She looked utterly and completely breathtaking.

Damon turned away, not wanting to be rude and stare at her. Except...she didn't make staring very easy to resist.

"Elena...uh, you look...beautiful..." He trailed off, cursing himself for seeming like an idiot while he stared at his _slave._

A faint blush crept into her cheeks. "Thanks, Damon." She took a few more steps towards him, and he quickly turned away, beckoning for her to join him as he stopped out the door. It was rude; he knew he should've extended his arm for her to loop her own through - like a gentleman would. But he was afraid of how soft her skin would feel if he touched it again.

By the time they'd gotten into the carriage, Elena was trembling with excitement. It felt like years since the last time she'd been on an adventure, and she could hardly wait to arrive at wherever Damon was taking her.

Damon was surprised when Elena took a seat next to him in the carriage, flashing him a shy smile before she turned to look out the window.

"It's a nice day." He commented, watching as she nodded, her attention still focused on the outside word. He sighed. Truth be told, he _did_ feel bad about keeping her inside all the time, apart from that one exception last week. But with Klaus on the loose - and the fact that she was supposed to be dead - it was just too dangerous.

The first ten minutes of the ride were silent, and oddly peaceful. They didn't need words, just each other's company to be content.

When Elena finally grew tired of the silence, she turned to Damon, finding that he was already watching her. "Am I allowed to know where we're going?" She asked.

He smiled, shaking his head. "It's a surprise."

* * *

Damon held another branch out of Elena's way, ensuring that none of the trees had ripped her dress as they picked their way through the forest. They'd been walking for at least 20 minutes now, and Elena was beginning to feel confused. Where on earth was he taking her?

They were going uphill, she could tell. Her legs were already slightly sore, and the ground was beginning to curve upwards.

They'd gotten out of the carriage right in front of a meadow, where Damon had led her through and into the trees. But what on earth would be so high up that he wanted to show her?

Her forehead connected with a wall of muscle, and she looked up in a daze. "We're here." Damon announced. "The Mystic Falls."

She raised an eyebrow, looking around. So this was where he'd wanted to take her?

"I thought we could have a picnic." He murmured, holding out the picnic basket. She smiled at him.

He knelt down, spreading the blanket out and setting up the food. Hopefully, she'd enjoy this time spent with him today. Well, not that it really mattered. Right?

"It's really beautiful here." Elena whispered, seemingly dazed by the peaceful setting of the falls. Damon nodded.

"I grew up here." He said quietly, his eyes trailing over the water falling steadily down the sleek, black rocks.

Elena looked shocked. "You did?"

"Mhm. 145 years ago."

She inhaled deeply, closing her eyes for a moment. 145 years. So much time and yet so little people to spend it with. After a while, everyone you knew and loved would die, wouldn't they? She could scarcely imagine being a vampire without someone to lean on - it would be a life filled with loneliness. A part of her thought that was what Damon hated the most about it - if he hated it at all. He put on a good show, but there were times when she thought she could really and truly see through him. Did he have anyone in the world to lean on? To befriend? To _love_?

"Here." Damon pushed the picnic basket towards her, breaking her out of her thoughts. "Eat."

"Are you ever going to stop ordering me around?" She sighed.

Damon smiled. "Maybe."

She watched as he lay back, crossing his arms underneath his head as he stared up at the sky.

"Where did you live?" She asked quietly. He turned his head slightly, his blue eyes boring into hers.

"Not far from here. I lived in a large plantation, with a big, white mansion smack in the middle of it. My family was always very rich - we owned a logging company. I lived with my brother and my father. Well, my mother too. Up until..." He trailed off. "Up until she died."

A pang of sadness hit Elena. Damon could be cruel, and horrible, and a terrible person, but she truly did feel sorry for him sometimes.

Maybe he just needed someone.

Her mind flashed bak to Fell's Church, where she'd grown up. The place they'd passed just the other day. There were so many memories. Her house, her bedroom, Jeremy, her parents, summer picnics, Aunt Jenna's visits, Matt, Bonnie, Tyler...

She shook her head, clearing her mind of the thoughts. She needed to just take this time today to relax, and forget about reality. Forget about the fact that she was a slave to a vampire and that they were breaking the law by having this weird, twisted relationship. Forget about Klaus, the laws, the past...

Picking up an apple, Elena began to eat, her eyes trailing over Damon. He was still staring up at the sky, his blue eyes highlighted against the grass.

"Damon, do you ever free your slaves?" She asked quietly.

He turned his head at the unexpected question, his throat running dry. Was she asking if he was ever going to free her?

"I- when I want to get rid of them, I sell them...I don't keep them until they grow old though, it's too much of a hassle."

Elena pushed down her anger at the fact that Damon _sold _people just as she had been herself, and instead focused on nodding intently at him.

"Why would you ask me that, Elena?" His eyes narrowed.

She swallowed. "No reason. I was just thinking about things."

Deciding not to press the matter, Damon stood up, extending his hand to her. "Would you like to go swimming?"

She stared at him in confusion. "Swimming? In the _falls? _Won't it be freezing?" Normally, Elena wouldn't have had a problem with cold water, but considering the last time she'd gone 'swimming' in it she'd been drowning out in that frozen lake, it didn't sound all too great now.

He rolled his eyes. "Yeah, in the falls."

She hesitated. "Scared?" He teased, and she shook her head, shooting him a glare. Damon sighed.

"Come on, Elena, when are you going to get this chance again?"

Elena stared at his outstretched, waiting hand reluctantly. She'd have to take off her dress. She _was _wearing a camisole and boy shorts underneath, but still. Swimming? With Damon? In nothing but her _underclothes?_

She groaned, giving in as he pouted. It couldn't be _that_ bad. Maybe Damon would even help her to have fun.

She followed him to the Falls, their hands still entwined as they made their way across the grass. Elena shivered. The water looked freezing, and yet Damon was already starting to undress. Undress - oh! She looked away quickly, a blush spreading across her cheeks as he took his shirt off. A couple moments later, a loud splash sounded in her ears, and she turned around again, finding Damon surfacing from the water.

"Is it cold?" She called.

"Nope." He shook his head, water droplets dripping off his raven hair.

She resisted the urge to roll her eyes, knowing that of course it wouldn't be cold to him - he was a vampire. Whatever. She should probably live a little, Damon probably wouldn't let her go out again.

Hesitantly, Elena stepped behind a large tree, her hands fumbling with the hemline of her dress as she lifted it over her head and kicked off her shoes. She left the bundle of clothes in a nearly folded like behind the tree, peeking her head out.

Damon was swimming further across the pool of water, his back turned to her.

Sighing in relief, Elena took this as her chance, and quickly slid in, flinching at the cold temperature of the water.

Her hands slid down to her torso, pulling her camisole further down and tighter around her to ensure that no..._unnecessary_ skin was showing.

"What's wrong?"

She gasped, realizing Damon was now literally right in front of her, his glacial eyes worriedly appraising her.

"So vampires can super speed in the water now?"

He grinned at her. "It's just another thing that makes me flawless. Now, follow me." She smiled at his joke, then slid down fully into the water and swam after him. As they neared the falls, Elena grew a bit uneasy. There was so much _water_...it was falling heavily, pounding into the pool below...

"There's nothing to worry about, Elena." She turned her head to find Damon staring at her intently. She nodded.

He sped off again, and she groaned, wishing for a tiny moment that she could share his super-speed powers.

"Hurry up." He smirked at her, waggling his eyebrows. She rolled her eyes, hoping it wouldn't anger him.

"The water's cold."

"Yeah, well, if you want to see what I'm gonna show you, you'll have to get over it." He dove under the water, his dark hair disappearing from her sight. She huffed. Stupid vampire speed. Her eyes widened as she watched Damon swim gracefully under the falls...but where had he gone? What was on the other side? Knowing he'd expect her to follow, she took a deep breath and dived down after him. The cool water bit at her skin, but she ignored the cold and focused on swimming in the direction he'd gone.

When she was sure the falls were behind her, Elena rose to the surface, her head bobbing up as she inhaled deeply...and gasped.

She was in the middle of some sort of cave; the walls were made of pure, natural rock. Elena looked around. Growing out of various places in the rocks were beautiful flowers, purple and pink and blue and red. The colours were gorgeous. There was a crack in the foof that let sunlight in, plus the rushing water behind her gave the cavern filled with gorgeous blue water a strangely beautiful glow.

"Wow...Damon, this is amazing." She breathed, still transfixed by the beauty of the alien-like place he'd brought her to.

He smirked. "I thought you might like it."

"It's beautiful."

She watched as he swam around in circles, looking more peaceful than she'd ever seen him. Was this the sort of thing he'd do in a day, while she was working as his slave? Did he really not always spend his days hunting and killing people? Maybe she'd underestimated him.

Damon turned towards her, the water shining on the part of his chest that was showing. He held his hand out to her, and she took it cautiously. Suddenly, she found herself spinning in a circle, the water rushing around her.

"Damon!" She shrieked, laugher escaping her as he spun her around in the water like a five year old. "Stop!"

"Admit it - you don't want me to." He chuckled with her as he slowly let her come to a stop, her body falling against his chest as they both laughed.

Elena's laughter died down after a moment, and her mouth opened slightly as she realized that Damon's warm blue eyes were gazing into her own brown doe ones. She knew this was wrong. All of this was wrong. Standing in the water in a beautiful cavern - in her camisole - with her body pressed against Damon's Salvatore's chest...it was wrong. She knew it was. But for some reason, she couldn't seem to tear her eyes away from his. _Why? _

"You smell good." Damon murmured, his nose close to her hair.

She raised her eyebrows. "Um, thanks. I put on some fancy perfume you bought me this morning."

"That's not what I meant."

Her heart rate sped up, and she knew he could hear it. Knew he could see the blush rising in her cheeks. Knew he could sense her nervousness.

"It's been a while." He purred lazily.

Her hands shook slightly. "S-Since what?"

"You know what."

Since the last time he fed from her. It'd been...what? Almost 2 months now? More? Less? She was losing track of time while living with him. But that wasn't the problem. The problem was that she knew what he wanted. He wanted to feed from her, to sink his fangs into her neck just as he had done all those weeks ago, and many times before that.

"I...I don't think I...I don't really feel comfortable with-"

"Elena, I'm not asking. I just wanted you to be prepared so you can relax your muscles. That way, it won't hurt. I'll make sure it won't, I promise."

She took a deep breath. Maybe if she got through this fine...maybe that would be a good thing. If she was no longer scared of the concept of being fed from, maybe some of her fears of vampires would go away.

"Promise you'll be gentle." She whispered.

He brushed her cheek. "I promise, Elena."

Elena shifted in his arms, turning so that her back was against his bare chest. He moved her hair out of the way, his fingers skimming her shoulder while she shivered slightly.

"Elena, relax. I promised, remember?"

She nodded, her eyes closing. There was a moments' silence, and then she felt two razer sharp points skimming her neck. Damon's tongue came out, licking at a spot gently for a moment before his fangs sliced into her.

There was a dull sting for a moment or two, and then it was gone. Her eyes flew open, widening. What? It was supposed to hurt, not feel good! And then memories came rushing back to her. The first time Damon had fed on her, it hadn't hurt. She remembered hiding in his room after that stupid banquet, and then he'd found her behind the curtain. Only, it hadn't hurt. It had felt good. Like it did now.

It felt as if every nerve in her body was on fire, only in a toe-curling pleasurable way. Damon's hand was playing with her hair while he continued to drink from her, his other hand wrapping around her waist and sending shocks over her skin through the thin material of her lacy camisole.

When he finally retracted his fangs from her neck, she almost found herself wishing that he didn't have to. Still, his hands never left her waist, her body never moving from his.

"We should get back." Damon murmured. "You look like you're starting to get cold."

Elena's cheeks went pink again. "I've been cold since you made me get in the water twenty minutes ago."

He chuckled. "I guess that's true. Come on." He took her hand, and she took a deep breath as he pulled her underwater with him, propelling them underneath the falls. Ever since her parents drowned, Elena had shied away from water, but today, Damon had made her remember how much she used to love swimming - and how much she still did.

They swam across the pool created by the falls, back to the bank where their picnic blanket was spread out. "Here." Damon offered. "Let me help you out of the water."

Elena bit her lip. "Uh, I'm fine. You go first."

"Come on, Elena. Ladies first, remember? Let me help you out before I get out myself."

"Damon, I-"

"Don't want me to see you in a camisole? Really, Elena? As long as you're wearing panties along with it, you're fine."

"Damon, my camisole's _white_."

"So?"

"So it's see through when wet." She hissed, embarrassment clear in her eyes.

"Aren't you wearing a bra or something underneath? I hope you are, since I spent a lot of money on those lingerie sets at Caroline's boutique and I thought you liked them."

Her cheeks turned pink at the memory of his blue eyes flashing as she handed him the lingerie she'd picked out. She remembered him eyeing the delicate pieces of lace appreciatively, then paying for it at the counter and giving her a smirk before handing it back with the other clothes.

"I-"

"Elena." He mock-groaned. "Come on. Let me help you out. Besides, little Damon's getting cold now. I need to get out."

Her cheeks flamed red and she quickly looked away. Damon rolled his eyes.

"What? Can't take a sexual joke? Don't be such a prude, Elena." He shook his head, chuckling. She fought the urge to glare at him.

"Fine, help me out. But don't you dare look."

"You know I wouldn't if you really didn't want me to." He said softly. She swallowed.

His arms wrapped around her waist as he swung her up onto the bank, but his head turned away, giving her the modesty she deserved.

Behind the tree, Elena stripped off her camisole - it was too wet to be comfortable under the dress now - and pulled the white lace dress on again, slipping into her shoes and tying her hair back in a ponytail while she put her earrings back on.

Damon had changed on the opposite side of another tree, and when she emerged from behind hers he was leaning against the trunk with a smirk. They walked back up the slight hill to their picnic area, and Elena plopped down on the blanket again, closing her eyes tiredly.

"So the dreams have stopped?" Damon asked quietly, after a moment of silence.

She nodded, sighing. "The dreams have stopped."

"Good." He flinched, remembering the nights he'd laid in bed, waking up at midnight to hear her screaming. He would flash downstairs to her bedroom as fast as possible, wrenching the door open and ending up on the bed with her, her sweat covered body twisting in his arms as she slowly awoke from her dream with terrified eyes. Deep down, he had a feeling that he knew what - who- might be causing it. But he didn't want to scare her, and he couldn't possibly treat her the way he once had to appease someone else. Besides, he could've been wrong. It could've just been her terrible experiences with Klaus that triggered the dreams, not Klaus making her have them.

"Damon?"

"Yes?"

"Have you seen my bracelet?" Her face was worried. "It's the silver one with the blue in it - the one you picked out for me at the boutique."

His mind flashed back to that day again, before she'd gotten kidnapped. He'd held the delicate, pretty piece of silver up for her inspection, offering to buy it as an extra gift, and she'd nodded excitedly.

"No. Did you leave it down at the banks?"

"Maybe." She stood up, smoothing her dress down. "I'll be right back."

"No, wait." He grabbed her wrist. "I'll get it. You just sit down and relax, have a bit more food."

She nodded, sitting back down and rummaging through the picnic basket while he walked down to the hill to the tree where she'd changed. She realized Damon had also packed mini cupcakes smothered in pink icing, and she laughed. She hadn't expected him to want the colour pink anywhere near him, even if she liked it.

Laying back on her side, Elena bit into the cupcake, her right hand toying with her necklace. The truth was, she and Damon really needed to talk about their outing together a week or so ago. Things had really changed on that outing. She felt more comfortable around Damon now than she ever had before. It was like...like he could be her best friend.

Her mind flashed back to the other night, remembering how spending mere moments with him had made her feel relaxed and happy.

_Elena sighed, twirling in front of the mirror in the lacy blue nightgown. She had to admit - the thing made her look gorgeous. The lace cups at the top pushed her breasts up and created a high amount of cleavage, and the blue silk that covered most of the short nightgown fit her snugly, showing off the curves she'd learned to hide from Damon's watchful eyes. She should probably have changed back into her usual flannel pyjama shorts and camisole by now, but she just wanted to try the lingerie. It made her feel so...grown up._

_Another night to get through. The dreams just kept coming, non stop. The other night she'd dreamt that Damon had put his fingers in...in...well, a place she didn't want them at the moment...but it had hurt. A lot. And she hadn't been able to stop him. The question remained: why was she having these dreams?_

_The door swung open, and she jumped in surprise, her eyes widening. Damon strode in confidently, then froze in place, his jaw dropping as he stared at her in the skimpy lace nightgown._

_"Damon!" She covered herself up with her hands. "Get out!"_

_"No can do. If I want to be in here, I can. My house, my rules, technically my bedroom, my slave...no offence or anything."_

_She glared at him. "Great. Can you stop staring at...my...can you just look away?"_

_"At what? Why can't you say the word, Elena? Your cleavage? I assume that's what you're talking about." His words seemed as if he was speaking in slurs, and she wondered what was wrong with him._

_"Stop." She hissed, grabbing her nightgown off the end of her bed and slipping it on._

_"Stop what? I'm a man, in case you've forgotten. I'm going to stare."_

___She eyed him, and it was then that she realized he was holding a bottle of three hundred dollar scotch. "You're drunk. You shouldn't be in here. It's obvious that being drunk causes you to make...far too many sexual references."_

_"But I wanna stare." He slurred._

_"Okay, we've established the point." She crossed her arms over her chest. "Can you leave now?"_

_"I came in to say goodnight. And to make sure you'll be okay."_

_"I'll be fine."_

_"You sure about that?" His eyes searched hers, his gaze turning more serious. Could vampires control their...drunkenness? "'Cause you said that last night, and then..."_

_She knew he was right._

_"Fine. You win." She sat down on the bed, looking at her French manicured nails that Damon had gotten another slave to do for her - even though she'd protested. "I'm not gonna be okay. I'm probably gonna have another bad dream, and..." Her eyes filled with tears, snapping up to meet his. "Stay tonight. For the whole night. Please?"_

_"Elena."_

_"I know this entire thing is inappropriate. I get it, Damon. But_  
_I'm scared. I need you. Just one night? When you're here, the dreams don't happen. Please stay tonight."_

_"I..."_

_"Please?" Her hand grasped his, their fingers entwining. "I'll even wear this nightgown so you can stare all night long. Please?"_

_He rolled his eyes. "I'm not going to stare all night long, I was just appreciating the view for a moment. I'm not that disrespectful to women, you know."_

_"Except when you're drunk."_

_"True."_

_She smiled slightly, watching as he pulled her over to the bed and sat down. "Here." He threw her flannel pyjama set at her. "Go change in the bathroom. They're comfier to sleep in."_

Elena's eyes opened again, the sound of a bird chirping breaking her out of the memory. She sat up, realizing that she'd now eaten 3 cupcakes. How much time had gone by?

She turned, expecting to see an amused Damon staring at her, teasing her about her daydreaming. Only he wasn't there.

"Damon?" She stood up, a frown crossing her face. He should've been back by now.

She made her way down to the banks by the Falls, checking behind the trees and half expecting him to jump out with a "Boo!" and scare her. But he wasn't there. He'd gone to find her bracelet, and she'd said this is where she'd left it. Or maybe it was somewhere else, and he was just looking around for it.

A few minutes later, Elena's heart began to pound. Okay, she'd given it exactly 3 minutes. And he wasn't back. "Damon!" She raised her voice to a call, the worry evident in the tone of it.

There were so many possibilities. Klaus. An old enemy she hadn't known about. Or maybe he'd left her out here in the middle of nowhere purposely, so he could get rid of her once and for all...

"Damon?" She called, panicked. _What the hell_? Where had he gone?

"Damon!"

She spun in circles, her eyes desperately searching the forest for him. _Where was he? _He would never leave her out here in the middle of nowhere, she knew that. Or maybe he would. Maybe this was what he did when he got tired of slaves; lead them out into the woods and leave them there.

She shook the thoughts out of her head, knowing she was being foolish. He was around here somewhere, he had to be.

Unless something had happened to him...

"Damon!" She screamed, truly terrified now. "Damon!"

"Elena?"

A warm hand instantly encircled her wrist, turning her. A moment later, she was staring into oceanic blue eyes, her erratic breathing calming slightly.

"D-Damon? Oh my god, I thought-" Unable to stop herself, Elena threw her arms around Damon's waist, burying her face in his chest.

She breathed in, inhaling his scent of leather, cologne, and bourbon. She knew that this was entirely inappropriate and that Damon was probably beyond confused, but she couldn't help herself.

Damon stared down at her in shock. Out of nowhere, Elena had literally thrown her arms around him and was now pressing her face into his chest.

"Elena, are you alright? I heard you screaming my name."

"Are YOU alright? I couldn't find you!"

"Your bracelet had fallen the to the water, over by the falls. You must have accidentally left it on when you got in. So I went in and got it." He held up her bracelet, and it was then that she realized his hair looked very damp.

"O-oh. Thanks." She blurted, suddenly feeling beyond stupid. She'd been freaking out, calling his name...

"Why were you screaming, Elena?" Damon stared at her curiously, looking slightly concerned. He looked her over. When he'd first seen her, she'd looked panic-stricken and afraid. What had gotten her so worked up?

"I thought something might've happened to you." She whispered.

Damon's heart jumped. "And?" He asked, knowing he was pushing her.

"And I was worried about you, okay?"

A warm feeling filled Damon's chest; it spread throughout him until it eventually reached his face, and he let out a smile.

"Why?"

"Why what?" Elena was becoming irritated. What was with the 20 questions?

"Why were you worried about me?"

"Because I didn't want to see you get hurt." She huffed. "Now, can we please go back to the picnic blanket?"

She turned, but Damon caught her elbow, pulling her back to him.

"Why didn't you want to see me get hurt?"

"Damon!" Annoyed, Elena tried to pull out of his grasp, but he kept her locked in place. His eyes burned into her own, and soon she found herself drowning in an ocean of blue.

"Why were you worried about me, Elena?" His velvety voice wrapped around her, and she swallowed.

"Because...because I care about you, Damon."

His eyes widened, his hand dropping off hers as they stared at each other. The air seemed to grow quiet; the only thing Elena could hear was their light breathing, and her heart, pounding loudly in her chest. Her gaze shifted to his lips, and she recalled the two times she'd kissed him. Silk. Rose petals. That was what his lips had felt like. She must have lain in bed thinking about those two kisses a million times now. Sometimes she wondered if he did the same. Had they meant anything to him? Because they sure as hell had meant something to her.

She'd realized she cared about Damon the night he saved her from Klaus. She'd been terrified that the older vampire would overpower Damon, and that she'd be forced to watch him die. She knew it wasn't right, but she couldn't help it. Damon had become a large part of her life. In fact, he was the only person she really had now. It was sort of ironic, really. But nonetheless, he was all she had, and if anything happened to him...

"It's been a long time since someone cared about me." Damon whispered, and she looked up to find his eyes shining.

She smiled, slipping her fingers through his. She gave his hand a squeeze, and he squeezed back gently, smiling back at her.

After a minute, Damon cleared his throat, stepping away. The moment broken, Elena felt a blush creep into her cheeks, and she turned her eyes to the ground.

She realized what this would've looked like to any outsider: a slave, her fingers locked with her master's. Probably not appropriate.

Except they weren't in public, they were out here, in the middle of nowhere. There was no one around for miles...but she understood. This - whatever was going on between them - shouldn't be happening, and she knew that. But then why did holding his hand, touching his skin...why did it feel so _right_?

"Um. We should probably get back." He said, beginning to trudge back to their picnic area. Elena slowly followed, unsure of what the consequences of her latest confession would be once they got home.

* * *

The ride home was filled with tension. Elena felt as if she could cut it with a knife it was so heavy. And yet it wasn't...angry tension. Like they were fighting or something. There was tension because they both knew damn well that something was going on between them.

The manor was quiet when they arrived, a few lights on upstairs from where other slaves would be working. A pang of guilt hit Elena as she realized she'd spent the day eating cupcakes and swimming in gorgeous caverns while the other slaves were here scrubbing floors. She'd discuss that with Damon one day. Well, if they ever got close enough to. But she didn't want the day to end on a bad note, so as he walked her through the halls and to her room, she turned, facing him.

"Thank you for taking me out today." Elena said softly, her eyes shining up at him.

Damon's heart thumped unevenly as he gazed at her, managing a weak smile as he drank in her beauty.

"You're welcome." He whispered, turning away quickly so that she wouldn't see the adoration he knew was clear in his eyes.

"No, Damon, I mean it." She grabbed his arm, stepping beside him to look him in the eyes again. "I...I had a lot of fun...so...thank you. For giving me that, I mean."

"You're welcome, Elena." He said softly. Truth be told, her latest confession had left him shocked and slightly out of breath for the entire ride home, and he needed some time alone in his room to process it.

"Will you be alright tonight?"

She smiled, nodding. "Today definitely got my mind off things. I think I'll be fine. But...would you come check on me in a few hours, just to make sure?"

His heart contracted again. "Of course."

They smiled at each one last time before she stepped inside and closed the door. They were like two teenagers, both secretly with a crush on the other and yet neither wanting to admit it. She let out a short laugh as she realized she'd basically just said that she had a crush on her vampire master. Great. Only there wasn't really another way to describe it.

Whatever was going on between her and Damon was a lot stronger than feelings of 'care.'

She changed into her blue pyjama shorts and dark blue camisole, knowing Damon liked this set. Maybe he'd notice when he checked on her later. Laying back on her bed, Elena stared happily at the ceiling, feeling content with her day for the first time in weeks.

* * *

Down the hall, Damon made his way to the stairs, cursing himself the entire way. He'd acted like such a fool, like a teenager with a crush on the pretty girl who didn't know how to ask her out. Stupid, stupid. He couldn't have just played it cool.

Wait, what was he thinking? He was Damon Salvatore. When he walked in the room, it was like a chain reaction of panties dropping occured all around him. He shook his head, making his way towards the front door. Maybe some fresh air would do him good.

Damon swung the door open, intending to step outside onto the porch and sit down on the porchswing. Instead, he was met with several pairs of dark eyes.

He recognized the Mikaelson brothers - Elijah, and _Klaus. _There were other men in blacksuits too, staring at him as if they were trying to figure out how strong he was.

"What is the meaning of this?" He spat.

"My brother-" Elijah motioned to Klaus. "Has informed me of everything going on between you and your little slave Kol bought you a few months ago. Elena, is it? Gilbert? We're here for her. And you, as well. Secret's out, Damon."

Damon's eyes widened in shock. "What?"

And then they were brushing past him in the house, the bodyguards grabbing his arms and holding him back as he watched Klaus and Elijah march down the hall that led to Elena's room.

_No. No, this wasn't supposed to happen._

He snarled in anger as he heard a familiar shriek coming from the beautiful girl in the bedroom down the hall. He wouldn't let anything happen to her, he _wouldn't. _

And then Klaus was in front of him, chuckling cruelly. "You think I didn't know that she was alive? That you have feelings for the girl? That I didn't stay that night and listen as you comforted her in the study? I didn't think you were dumb enough to believe the act, but clearly, I was wrong. And now the girl will pay the price. You can watch as we tear her to pieces tommorow morning."

"She has to get a fair trial first." Damon spat. "Elijah knows that. And so do I."

Klaus smirked. "Maybe. But we both know how it will end."

Damon's eyes widened as he watched Elijah drag Elena down the hall roughly. His heart clenched painfully as he looked her over. She was still dressed in her cute little pyjamas, too much gorgeous olive skin exposed in front of these unfamiliar men. Her eyes were wide with tears and as she looked at him in fear, his heart filled with guilt. This was his fault.

"D-Damon?"

"It'll be okay."

"W-What's going on?"

And then they were both dragged out the door, Damon pushed into the front of the Mikaelson's carriage as he watched with horrified eyes as Elena was gagged and thrown into the back like an animal.

And even as his body pulsed with anger, he knew the horrible things that morning would bring. He watched a single tear escape Elena's eye as the carriage started up, her eyes never leaving his own.

* * *

**Review to see the next chapter!**

**Well, this is not good for Damon and Elena. What's going to happen now? Where is the government taking them? Review to find out - I have an epic chapter coming up!**

**I hope you guys enjoyed the romance between Delena this chapter! But there had to be some angst for the plot to keep moving. This next challenge in their relationship is going to be super tough for them both - watch what happens at the end of next chapter. Damon's got a tough road ahead, as does Elena.**

**Get ready for the next chapter - leave a review to see it! I want to reach my goal of 1000 reviews soo badly, lol :p**

**~DelenaRain**


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